The Japanese Government in Singapore used a combination of oppression and torture so as to instil fear and submission of the people of Singapore, so that the Japanese Government could exploit Singapore's economic and military resources to the maximum, as well as attempt to forcibly colonize Singapore so that she could be considered a Japanese colony so as to not only showcase Japan's political might, but also be a viable source of military support if need be in the case of war. As such, various inhumane means to minimize disruption and opposition were employed. They included the imprisonment of the Europeans in prison camps, forcing the Indian National Army, Gurkhas and Sikh soldiers to pledge loyalty to the Japanese, and either imprisoning or killing those who refused. Additionally, those who did not bow to the Japanese on the streets would be slapped, kicked or punished. The Japanese treated the Chinese as their enemies, and had kempeitai, or military police and informers, stationed all over the island, in which these informers could supply information to the officials who would then torture the alleged Anti-Japanese into confession or shoot them for bayonet practice. This mistreatment not only resulted in a massacre of Chinese but also created a cloud of suspicion amongst the community. Hence the JO can be remembered as a period of hardship and horror. .
Under Japanese rule, essential foodstuffs like rice, sugar and salt were controlled, resulting in a serious shortage of food and other goods. Due to the economic standstill upon the defeat of Singapore, there was more demand than supply and the Japanese tried solving this by printing banana notes which, needless to say, devalued over time as the Japanese printed more and more. This in turn led to hyperinflation where prices of foods like eggs and sugar increased from three cents to $35 and eight cents to $120 respectively. This led to malnutrition, low standards of health, widespread disease, and poverty.