Timeline of Japanese involvement in WWII

1940

September 22 - Japan invades Vietnam(Indochina)

September 26 - Landing at Dong Tac

1941

July - Axis controls Vietnam and Japanese have a free hand in Indochina

December 7 -Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; also attack the Philippines, Wake Island, Guam, Malaya, Thailand, Shanghai and Midway
December 8- War declared on Japan by Britain and US.Japanese land near Singapore and enter Thailand.
December 9 - China declares war on Japan.
December 10- Japanese invade the Philippines and also seize Guam.
December 11 - Japanese invade Burma.
December 15- First Japanese merchant ship sunk by a U.S. submarine.December 16 - Japanese invade British Borneo.
December 18 - Japanese invade Hong Kong.
December 22 - Japanese invade Luzon in the Philippines.
December 23 - General MacArthur begins a withdrawal from Manila to Bataan,Japanese take Wake Island.
December 25- British surrender at Hong Kong.
December 26- Manila declared an open city.
December 27 - Japanese bomb Manila.

1942
January 2- Manila and U.S. Naval base at Cavite captured by the Japanese.
January 7- Japanese attack Bataan in the Philippines.
January 11 - Japanese invade Dutch East Indies and Dutch Borneo.
January 16 - Japanese begin an advance into Burma.
January 18 - German-Japanese-Italian military agreement signed in Berlin.
January 19 - Japanese take North Borneo.
January 23 - Japanese take Rabaul on New Britain in the Solomon Islands and also invade Bougainville, the largest island.
January 30/31 - The British withdraw into Singapore. The siege of Singapore then begins.
February 2 - Japanese invade Java in the Dutch East Indies.
February 8/9 - Japanese invade Singapore.
February 14 - Japanese invade Sumatra in the Dutch East Indies.
February 15- British surrender at Singapore.
February 19 - Largest Japanese air raid since Pearl Harbor occurs against Darwin, Australia; Japanese invade Bali.
February 22 - General MacArthur ordered out of the Philippines.
February 23 - First Japanese attack on the U.S. mainland as a submarine shells an oil refinery near Santa Barbara, California.
February 24 - ENTERPRISE attacks Japanese on Wake Island.
February 26 - First U.S. carrier, the LANGLEY, is sunk by Japanese bombers.
March 1 - Japanese naval victory in the Battle of the Java Sea as the largest U.S. warship in the Far East, the HOUSTON, is sunk.
March 4 - Two Japanese flying boats bomb Pearl Harbor; ENTERPRISE attacks Marcus Island, just 1000 miles from Japan.
March 7- British evacuate Rangoon in Burma; Japanese invade Salamaua and Lae on New Guinea
March 8 - Dutch on Java surrender to Japanese.
March 11- Gen. MacArthur leaves Corregidor and is flown to Australia. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright becomes the new U.S. commander.
March 18 - Gen. MacArthur appointed commander of the Southwest Pacific Theater by President Roosevelt.
March 18- War Relocation Authority established in the U.S.120,000 Japanese-Americans rounded up and transported barb-wired relocation centers. Despite the internment, over 17,000 Japanese-Americans sign up and fight for the U.S. in World War II in Europe, including the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated unit in U.S. history.
March 23 - Japanese invade the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal.
March 24 - Admiral Chester Nimitz appointed as Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific theater.
April 3 - Japanese attack U.S. and Filipino troops at Bataan.
April 6- First U.S. troops arrive in Australia.
April 9 - U.S. forces on Bataan surrender unconditionally to the Japanese.
April 10 - Bataan Death March begins
April 18- Surprise U.S. 'Doolittle' B-25 air raid from the HORNET against Tokyo
April 29 - Japanese take central Burma.
May 1 - Japanese occupy Mandalay in Burma.
May 3 - Japanese take Tulagi in the Solomon Islands.
May 5 - Japanese prepare to invade Midway and the Aleutian Islands.
May 6 - Japanese take Corregidor as Gen. Wainwright unconditionally surrenders all U.S. And Filipino forces in the Philippines.
May 7-8 - Japan suffers its first defeat during the Battle of the Coral Sea off New Guinea - the first time in history that two opposing carrier forces fought only using aircraft without the opposing ships ever sighting each other.
May 12 - The last U.S. Troops holding out in the Philippines surrender on Mindanao.
May 20 - Japanese complete the capture of Burma and reach India.
June 4-5- Turning point in the war occurs with a decisive victory for the U.S. against Japan in the Battle of Midway as squadrons of U.S. torpedo planes and dive bombers from ENTERPRISE, HORNET, and YORKTOWN attack and destroy four Japanese carriers, a cruiser, and damage another cruiser and two destroyers. U.S. loses YORKTOWN.
June 7 - Japanese invade the Aleutian Islands.
June 9- Japanese postpone further plans to take Midway.
July 21 - Japanese land troops near Gona on New Guinea.
August 7 - First U.S. amphibious landing of the Pacific War occurs as 1st Marine Division invades Tulagi and Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
August 8- U.S. Marines take the unfinished airfield on Guadalcanal and name it Henderson Field after Maj. Lofton Henderson, a hero of Midway.
August 8/9 - A major U.S. naval disaster off Savo Island, north of Guadalcanal, as eight Japanese warships wage a night attack and sink three U.S. heavy cruisers, an Australian cruiser, and one U.S. destroyer, all in less than an hour. Another U.S. cruiser and two destroyers are damaged. Over 1,500 Allied crewmen are lost.
August 17 - 122 U.S. Marine raiders, transported by submarine, attack Makin Atoll in the Gilbert Islands.
August 21 - U.S. Marines repulse first major Japanese ground attack on Guadalcanal.
August 24 - U.S. And Japanese carriers meet in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons resulting in a Japanese defeat.
August 29 - The Red Cross announces Japan refuses to allow safe passage of ships containing supplies for U.S. POWs.
August 30- U.S. Troops invade Adak Island in the Aleutian Islands.
September 9/10 - A Japanese floatplane flies two missions dropping incendiary bombs on U.S. forests in the state of Oregon - the only bombing of the continental U.S. during the war. Newspapers in the U.S. voluntarily withhold this information.
September 12-14 - Battle of Bloody Ridge on Guadalcanal.
September 15- A Japanese submarine torpedo attack near the Solomon Islands results in the sinking of the Carrier WASP, Destroyer O'BRIEN and damage to the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA.
September 27 - British offensive in Burma.
October 11/12 - U.S. cruisers and destroyers defeat a Japanese task force in the Battle of Cape Esperance off Guadalcanal.
October 13 - The first U.S. Army troops, the 164th Infantry Regiment, land on Guadalcanal.
October 14/15 - Japanese bombard Henderson Field at night from warships then send troops ashore onto Guadalcanal in the morning as U.S. planes attack.
October 15/17 - Japanese bombard Henderson Field at night again from warships.
October 18 - Vice Admiral William F. Halsey named as the new commander of the South Pacific Area, in charge of the Solomons-New Guinea campaign.
October 26 - Battle of Santa Cruz off Guadalcanal
November 14/15 - U.S. And Japanese warships clash again off Guadalcanal resulting in the sinking of the U.S. Cruiser JUNEAU and the deaths of the five Sullivan brothers.
November 23/24 - Japanese air raid on Darwin, Australia.November 30/31 - Battle of Tasafaronga off Guadalcanal.
December 20-24 - Japanese air raids on Calcutta, India.
December 31 - Emperor Hirohito of Japan gives permission to his troops to withdraw from Guadalcanal after five months of bloody fighting against U.S. Forces

1943
January 2- Allies take Buna in New Guinea.
January 22- Allies defeat Japanese at Sanananda on New Guinea.
February 1 - Japanese begin evacuation of Guadalcanal.
February 8 - British-Indian forces begin guerrilla operations against Japanese in Burma.
February 9 - Japanese resistance on Guadalcanal ends.
March 2-4 - U.S. victory over Japanese in the Battle of Bismarck Sea.
April 18 - U.S. code breakers pinpoint the location of Japanese Admiral Yamamoto flying in a Japanese bomber near Bougainville in the Solomon Islands. Eighteen P-38 fighters then locate and shoot down Yamamoto.
April 21 - President Roosevelt announces the Japanese have executed several airmen from the Doolittle Raid.
April 22- Japan announces captured Allied pilots will be given "one way tickets to hell."
May 10 - U.S. Troops invade Attu in the Aleutian Islands.
May 14 - A Japanese submarine sinks the Australian hospital ship CENTAUR resulting in 299 dead.
May 31 - Japanese end their occupation of the Aleutian Islands as the U.S. completes the capture of Attu.
June 1 - U.S. begins submarine warfare against Japanese shipping.
June 21 - Allies advance to New Georgia, Solomon Islands.
July 8, - B-24 Liberators flying from Midway bomb Japanese on Wake Island.
August 6/7 - Battle of Vella Gulf in the Solomon Islands.
August 25 - Allies complete the occupation of New Georgia.
September 4 - Allies recapture Lae-Salamaua, New Guinea.
October 7 - Japanese execute approximately 100 American POWs on Wake Island.
October 26 - Emperor Hirohito states his country's situation is now "truly grave."
November 1 - U.S. Marines invade Bougainville in the Solomon Islands.
November 2 - Battle of Empress Augustusta Bay.
November 20 - U.S. Troops invade Makin and Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands.
November 23 - Japanese end resistance on Makin and Tarawa.
December 15 - U.S. Troops land on the Arawe Peninsula of New Britain in the Solomon Islands.
December 26 - Full Allied assault on New Britain as 1st Division Marines invade Cape Gloucester.

1944
January 9 - British and Indian troops recapture Maungdaw in Burma.
January 31 - U.S. Troops invade Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands.
February 1-7 - U.S. Troops capture Kwajalein and Majura Atolls in the Marshall Islands.
February 17/18 - U.S. Carrier-based planes destroy the Japanese naval base at Truk in the Caroline Islands.
February 20 - U.S. Carrier-based and land-based planes destroy the Japanese base at Rabaul.
February 23 - U.S. Carrier-based planes attack the Mariana Islands.
February 24 - Merrill's Marauders begin a ground campaign in northern Burma.
March 5 - Gen. Wingate's groups begin operations behind Japanese lines in Burma.
March 15 - Japanese begin offensive toward Imphal and Kohima.
April 17 - Japanese begin their last offensive in China, attacking U.S. air bases in eastern China.
April 22- Allies invade Aitape and Hollandia in New Guinea.
May 27 - Allies invade Biak Island, New Guinea.
June 5 - The first mission by B-29 Superfortress bombers occurs as 77 planes bomb Japanese railway facilities at Bangkok, Thailand.
June 15 - U.S. Marines invade Saipan in the Mariana Islands.
June 15/16 - The first bombing raid on Japan since the Doolittle raid of April 1942, as 47 B-29s based in Bengel, India, target the steel works at Yawata.
June 19 - The "Marianas Turkey Shoot" occurs as U.S. Carrier-based fighters shoot down 220 Japanese planes, while only 20 American planes are lost.
July 8, - Japanese withdraw from Imphal.
July 19 - U.S. Marines invade Guam in the Marianas.
July 24 - U.S. Marines invade Tinian.
July 27 - American troops complete the liberation of Guam.
August 3 - U.S. And Chinese troops take Myitkyina after a two month siege.
August 8 - American troops complete the capture of the Mariana Islands.
September 15 - U.S. Troops invade Morotai and the Paulaus.
October 11 - U.S. Air raids against Okinawa.
October 18 - Fourteen B-29s based on the Marianas attack the Japanese base at Truk.
October 20 - U.S. Sixth Army invades Leyte in the Philippines.
October 23-26 - Battle of Leyte Gulf results in a decisive U.S. Naval victory.
October 25 - The first suicide air (Kamikaze) attacks occur against U.S. warships in Leyte Gulf. November 11 - Iwo Jima bombarded by the U.S. Navy.
November 24 - Twenty four B-29s bomb the Nakajima aircraft factory near Tokyo.
December 15- U.S. Troops invade Mindoro in the Philippines.
December 17 - The U.S. Army Air Force begins preparations for dropping the Atomic Bomb by establishing the 509th Composite Group to operate the B-29s that will deliver the bomb.

1945
January 3 - Gen. MacArthur is placed in command of all U.S. ground forces and Adm. Nimitz in command of all naval forces in preparation for planned assaults against Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Japan itself.
January 4 - British occupy Akyab in Burma.
January 9 - U.S. Sixth Army invades Lingayen Gulf on Luzon in the Philippines.
January 11 - Air raid against Japanese bases in Indochina by U.S. Carrier-based planes.
January 28 - The Burma road is reopened.
February 3, - U.S. Sixth Army attacks Japanese in Manila.
February 16 - U.S. Troops recapture Bataan in the Philippines.
February 19 - U.S. Marines invade Iwo Jima.
March 2 - U.S. airborne troops recapture Corregidor in the Philippines.
March 3 - U.S. And Filipino troops take Manila.
March 9/10 - Fifteen square miles of Tokyo erupts in flames after it is fire bombed by 279 B-29s.
March 10 - U.S. Eighth Army invades Zamboanga Peninsula on Mindanao in the Philippines.
March 20 - British troops liberate Mandalay, Burma.
March 27 - B-29s lay mines in Japan's Shimonoseki Strait to interrupt shipping.
April 1 - The final amphibious landing of the war occurs as the U.S. Tenth Army invades Okinawa.
April 7 - B-29s fly their first fighter-escorted mission against Japan with P-51 Mustangs based on Iwo Jima; U.S. Carrier-based fighters sink the super battleship YAMATO and several escort vessels which planned to attack U.S. Forces at Okinawa.
April 12 - President Roosevelt dies, succeeded by Harry S. Truman.
May 8 - Victory in Europe Day.May 20, 1945 - Japanese begin withdrawal from China.
May 25 - U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff approve Operation Olympic, the invasion of Japan, scheduled for November 1.
June 9 - Japanese Premier Suzuki announces Japan will fight to the very end rather than accept unconditional surrender.
June 18 - Japanese resistance ends on Mindanao in the Philippines.
June 22 - Japanese resistance ends on Okinawa as the U.S. Tenth Army completes its capture.
June 28 - MacArthur's headquarters announces the end of all Japanese resistance in the Philippines.
July 5 - Liberation of Philippines declared.July 10, 1945 - 1,000 bomber raids against Japan begin.
July 14 - The first U.S. Naval bombardment of Japanese home islands.
July 16- First Atomic Bomb is successfully tested in the U.S.
July 26 - Components of the Atomic Bomb "Little Boy" are unloaded at Tinian Island in the South Pacific.
August 6 - First Atomic Bomb dropped on Hiroshima from a B-29 flown by Col. Paul Tibbets.
August 8 - U.S.S.R. declares war on Japan then invades Manchuria.
August 9 - Second Atomic Bomb is dropped on Nagasaki from a B-29 flown by Maj. Charles Sweeney -- Emperor Hirohito and Japanese Prime Minister Suzuki then decide to seek an immediate peace with the Allies.
August 14- Japanese accept unconditional surrender; Gen. MacArthur is appointed to head the occupation forces in Japan.
August 27 - B-29s drop supplies to Allied POWs in China.
August 29 - The Soviets shoot down a B-29 dropping supplies to POWs in Korea; U.S. Troops land near Tokyo to begin the occupation of Japan.
August 30 - The British reoccupy Hong Kong.
September 2 - Formal Japanese surrender ceremony on board the MISSOURI in Tokyo Bay as 1,000 carrier-based planes fly overhead; President Truman declares VJ Day.
September 3 - The Japanese commander in the Philippines, Gen. Yamashita, surrenders to Gen. Wainwright at Baguio.
September 4 - Japanese troops on Wake Island surrender.
September 5 - British land in Singapore.
September 8 - MacArthur enters Tokyo.
September 9 - Japanese in Korea surrender.
September 13 - Japanese in Burma surrender.
October 24, 1945 - United Nations is born.

Japanese Invasion Money

When the Japanese had captured the Asian countries , thus began the process of Japanisation of the subjects of the occupied countries.The Japanese authorities set up governments in all territories and one of the first things they did was name changing which will be stated in the posts. And in all occupied territories they had designs for banknotes which will be used by the local population once they have become citizens of the Japanese empire.These banknotes would later become victim to inflation due t the uncontrolled printing of these notes by the Japanese authorities.Emperor Hirohito

These Japanese Invasion Money was officialy known as the Southern Development Banknotes was issued by the Japanese military authority.In February 1942, a law was passed in Japan to establish the Wartime Finance Bank and the Southern Development Bank.These institutions issued bonds to raise funds. The former had also loaned money primarily to military industries but also had loaned money to other ventures, including hydroelectric generators, electric power companies, shipbuilding and petroleum.

The latter provided financial services in the areas occupied by the Japanese military, and the Southern Development Bank notes were used as the one and only currency circulating. These banknotes were printed without control and whenever the Japanese authorities needed money to pay for whatever supplies they needed, they would resort to the printing machine to print banknotes. Amount of money in circulation in the occupied territories would increase from millions to billons.

Life became very hard as prices rose and rose until prices for the most basic items such as rice was too expensive for people who were poor.More on the Japanese invasion money(JIM) in the next posts.Below are the exchange rates for the Japanese invasion money for local currency.

1 Japanese Rupee=1 Burma rupee
1 Japanese Gulden=1 Javanese Gulden

1 Japanese Dollar=1 Malayan Dollar

1 Japanese peso=i Philippine peso

1 Indochinese Piastre = 0.976 Japanese Yen

1 Japanese yen=2 Japanese Oceanic Shillings

Japanese Invasion money of the Philippines

Flag of the Second Philippine Republic under the Japanese

The Philippines, an American possession in Asia obtained from the Spanish, changed hands once more in 1942, this time by the Japanese who were rapidly conquering countries in South East Asia. On 10 December, 1941 Japanese troops landed on Luzon. The Japanese overran Manila on 2 January, 1942
Japanese Bombing of Corregidor

In the process of capturing the Philippines, more than $20.5 Million in U.S. and local cash and an unknown amount of foreign currency and bullion in that capital city and after that,the Japanese Military would confiscate all hard currency, both on a federal and individual level, and replace it with notes printed locally and bearing a proclamation of military issue. The Japanese used this hard currency abroad to purchase raw materials, rice and weapons to fuel and feed its war machine. In its place the Japanese issued several series of invasion notes.
Japanese flame-thrower attack on an American blockhouse in the main defense-line on Bataan. On January 23, the defenders were forced to fall back.

All notes bear the name of the issuer, “The Japanese Government” while some notes proclaim the “promises to pay the bearer on demand…” This money, called “Mickey Mouse Money” by local Filipinos was considered valueless after the overthrow of the Japanese, and literally tons of it was burned. Additionally, Japanese troops were ordered to destroy bank records and any remaining currency prior to capitulation
Japanese Soldiers Batter Corregidor with Captured 12-Inch Guns


The occupying Japanese government issued fiat currency in several denominations known as Japanese government-issued Philippine fiat peso. The Japanese-sponsored Second Philippine Republic under Jose P. Laurel outlawed possession of guerilla currency and declared a monopoly on the issuance of money and anyone found to possess guerilla notes could be arrested.
Due to the fiat nature of the currency, the Philippine economy felt the effects of hyperinflation.
Japanese troops go ashore to complete the occupation of Corregidor island. General Homma’s original plan of attack had nearly been defeated by strong American resistance—but his forces had gained a foothold despite their losses, and fought their way towards the heart of Wainwright’s defense at Malinta tunnel.

The Filipinos called the fiat peso, "Mickey Mouse" money, because it was similar to play money and next to worthless. 75 Mickey Mouse pesos, or about 35 U.S. dollars at that time, could buy one duck egg.In 1944, a box of matches cost more than 100 Mickey Mouse pesos.
Many survivors of the war tell stories of going to the market laden with suitcases or "bayong" (native bags made of woven coconut or buri leaf strips) overflowing with the Japanese-issued bills. This story is similar in all the occupied countries, the only difference is the thing used to carry the banknotes but these situations are all the same.
Japanese victory at Bataan

All notes bear the name of the issuer, “The Japanese Government” while some notes proclaim the “promises to pay the bearer on demand…” This money, called “Mickey Mouse Money” by local Filipinos was considered valueless after the overthrow of the Japanese, and literally tons of it was burned. Additionally, Japanese troops were ordered to destroy bank records and any remaining currency prior to capitulation
Japanese Victory Parade Through Manila, Capital of the Philippine Islands

The first issue in 1942 consisted of denominations of 1, 5, 10 and 50 centavos and 1, 5, and 10 Pesos. 1943 brought “replacement notes” of the 1, 5 and 10 Pesos while 1944 ushered in a 100 Peso note and soon after an inflationary 500 Pesos note.
Near the end of the war in 1945 the Japanese issued a 1,000 Pesos note. Plates for this note were first completed in Manila shortly before U.S. troops entered the city on 3 February, 1945, and the Japanese printed the 1,000 Pesos note while they were retreating from Manila to Baguio. The Japanese were on the defensive and short of supplies, including printer’s ink, which they diluted with duplicator fluid in an effort to stretch their stores. These invasion notes are shown below including an issue unknown to many collectors featuring Jose Rizal on it.

1942 Issue
1943 Issue

1944-1945 Issue

After Us Troops landed in the Philippines, many Filipinos were reluctant to accept the Japanese military notes introduced and prompted the Japanese to issue a new currency which they hope would be more acceptable by designing notes bearing the Jose Rizal and would be printed in Tagalog instead of English and issued in the name of “Bangko Sentral ng Philipinas” under the authority of “Republika ng Philipinas”.However there wasn’t enough time and by the time the first note was completed the war was over.Below is the only denomination that was finished and was never circulated in the public.

Japanese invasion money of Indochina

Flag of Indochina under Japanese Occupation

Indochina or present day Vietnam,Cambodia and Laos and was occupied before the invasion of Malaya.In August 1940, Japan pressured the French government to allow Japanese forces to be stationed in northern Indochina, adjacent to the border with China. A year later the Japanese would have 40,000 troops stationed there. By September 1941, Japanese forces were marching into Saigon.

Japanese soldiers entering Saigon

There were two years in which these notes are issued.First issue was between 1938-1940 and the second issue was in the year 1942.These notes looks like the Military yen of the Japanese occupation of China and they both contain almost similar designs and currency unit.These are the issues of the invasion money and their respective date.

1938 issue

1942 issue

Japanese invasion money of Malaya

Japanese troops advancing through Kuala Lumpur
The Japanese had attacked Malaya on the same day as the attack on Pearl Harbour. The Japanese who were much better trained and equiped swiftly took Malaya in less than two months far shorter than what the British took to control Malayan states from its rulers many years before.General Yamashita became known as the Tiger of Malaya for his successful conquest of Malaya.Singapore then fell although it had much more men than the Japanese and the British army surrendered.Soon after that British North Borneo,Brunei and Sarawak fell, luckily for the White Rajah of Sarawak, he and his family had gone to Australia before the invasion and stayed there during the duration of the war.
Japanese soldiers moving through Malaya on bicycles

Following the fall of Singapore on February 15,1942 the Japanese had designed banknotes for the use in Malaya,Brunei,British North Borneo and Singapore and introduced it as a replacement for the local cureency which at that time was the Malayan Dollar.These notes were to be exchanged at a rate of 1:1.The Japanese wanted everyone to exchange all Malayan Dollars for the Japanese Occupation banknotes and for those who did not comply with this rule would be severely punished by the authorities. Some people had hid some of their Malayan Dollars as they anticipated that it would be worth more when the British returned to become the rulers again.
A Japanese tank in action somwhere in Malaya

To supply the authorities with money whenever they required it, they simply printed more notes. This resulted in high inflation and a severe depreciation in value of the banana note. Moreover, counterfeiting was rampant due to its lack of a serial number on many notes. Increasing inflation coupled with Allied disruption of Japan's economy forced the Japanese administration to issue banknotes of larger denominations and increase the amount of money in circulation. Sharp drops in the currency's value and increased price of goods frequently occurred following a Japanese defeat in battle abroad.

Japanese Navy A6M Zero fighters of 22nd Air Flotilla at Sultan Ismail Petra Airport after it was captured from Allied forces.

The Japanese had issued paper script currency of 1, 5, 10 and 50 cents and 1, 5 and 10 dollars in 1942. The 1, 5 and 10 dollar notes initially had serial numbers; these were later omitted. In 1944, inflation lead to the issuing of a 100 dollar note. In 1945, a replacement note 100 dollar bill was issued as well as a hyper-inflation 1,000 note. The 1942 series of notes, including the 50c and 1, 5, 10, and the 1944/45 100 dollar all contained the text [The Japanese Government] “Promise To Pay The Bearer On Demand”. Interestingly, the 1944 ,100 dollar replacement note no longer contained this message.No coins were issued during the occupation as the metals needed to produce was better used for the war effort, that is why the paper notes of 1,5,10 and 50 cents were issued instead of metal.Many people had stacks of these notes and going shopping was a troubling activity due to the fact that they had to carry bags of currency around

One must be wondering how is it like during the occupation with all this inflated money,well In Theresa Ee-Chooi's biography of her father Ee Peng Liang, she noted that an egg went for $100. During the Japanese Occupation, $100 buys you one egg. Lee Chin Gee, son of Lee Choon Seng, a former chairman of OCBC, told the bank's biographers that he sold his wife's gold chain for $3,500. Yet that money was not enough to buy even two big fishes, so he settled for a medium-size fish and two bananas. Many people at that time could be seen going shopping with a big bag of this worthless money.After the war ended many people who were suffered so much during the occupation simply burned the money, imagine if they knew how much one piece of this worthless money is worth they would think twice before doing so.

General Tomoyuki Yamashita,the Tiger of Malaya captured Malaya

The 1,5,10 cents had prefixes of fractional letters and block letters.The 1,5 and 10 dollars with serial numbers are worth much more than the ones with block letters and they are quite rare to,finding one is a blessing for a collector of these invasion banknotes.The second type of the 100 dollar note with an image of rubber tapping is worth much more than the one with the two buffaloes behind the note.The first letter M on all notes represent Malaya the area where this currency should be used. Block letters prefix worth more
Fractional letters prefix worth more
Block letters worth more
Serial numbered ones are expensive
Serial numbered ones are expensive

The second version of the 100 Dollar note(above),worth more than the common one (below)

If the prefix of the 1000 Dollar note is black instead of red, you just found yourself a small fortune