Date: Saturday, 13 September 2025
Time: 2.30pm – 4.30pm (Registration & self-guided tour from 1.30pm – 2.20pm)
Venue: Reflections at Bukit Chandu, Level 2 Lounge, 31-K Pepys Road, Singapore 118458
Admission: Free

Whispers of War (WOW) is a new public talk series that explores the multifaceted experiences of Singapore during World War II. This first session, titled Singapore Syonan-to, delves into the dramatic transformation of Singapore following the British surrender in 1942, when the island was renamed Syonan-to, or “Light of the South,” under Japanese rule.

Moderated by Dr Joshua Hong Yi Tan, Postdoctoral Fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Department of History, and featuring guest speaker Mr Ling Xi Min, History Doctoral Student at Northwestern University, the session will examine the Japanese government's efforts to integrate Singapore into the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, and how different communities responded to occupation policies – some with resistance, others with adaptation.

Future sessions in the Whispers of War series will continue to explore other pivotal themes and lesser-known stories from Singapore’s wartime past.

Register here