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Japanese Cemetery Park
The Japanese Cemetery Park (Japanese: 日本人墓地公園; rōmaji: Nihonjin bochi kōen) is a cemetery and memorial park in Hougang, Singapore. Covering an area of 29,359 square metres, it is the largest Japanese cemetery in Southeast Asia and contains 910 tombstones. The cemetery servers as the final resting place for members of the Japanese community in Singapore, including civilians, soldiers, and individuals who were executed as war criminals at Changi Prison, as well as others who were involved in the wartime sex trade. The site was gazetted as a memorial park by the Singapore government in 1987.
In 1891, The Japanese brothel owner, Tagajiro Fukaki, donated 7 acres (2.8 ha) of his rubber plantation to be used as a burial ground for young Japanese women who died in destitution. Together with other fellow brothel owners Shibuya Ginji and Nakagawa Kikuzo, Fukaki applied for permission, which was granted by the British colonial government 26 June 1891. Since then, the cemetery has become the final resting place for Japanese residents in Singapore.
During World War II, the cemetery was used to bury civilians and soldiers who had died either on the battlefield or from illness. Following Japan's defeat, the British repatriated all Japanese nationals from Singapore in 1948, no Japanese were allowed back into Singapore or Malaya for fear of their war past. The Singapore government then took over of the cemetery, which remained disused for several years. This policy persisted until the signing of the Official Peace Treaty with Japan in 1951.
In November 1952, Ken Ninomiya, the first post-war Japanese Consul-General to Singapore, was tasked to find out the fate of Japanese war remains in Singapore. After locating the remains, the intention was to repatriate the ashes of the dead. However, the Japanese government later decided against relocating the remains to a separate cemetery or repatriating the ashes. This decision was because the surrendered Japanese personnel had put so much effort into erecting a memorial in the cemetery for their fallen comrades. Additionally, the ashes had been interred in a single mound, making identification impossible.
In 1969, the Singapore government handed back ownership of the cemetery to the reformed Japanese Association, which oversees the maintenance of the cemetery. Burials continued until 1973 when the Singapore government passed an ordinance preventing the further expansion of the 42 cemeteries on the island.
Yamamoto Otokichi, also known as "John Matthew Ottoson", was born in Onoura Villageint Chita District of Owari (now Mihama Town of Aichi Prefecture) in 1818. In 1832, he was a sailor on board the ship "Hojun-maru", which sailed from Ise Bay to Tokyo. The ship drifted out of the sea at Toba in a storm. Otokichi managed to survive the disaster and was washed ashore at Cape Alava on the west coast of the United States after one year and two months. He eventually travelled around the world but Japan's isolationist policy at that time denied his return to his home country. Even after being rejected by his home country, he stayed proud to be a Japanese and helped to promote the opening of the country. He later became a successful trader. In 1862, Otokichi moved from Shanghai and stayed in Singapore with his Malay wife to become the first Japanese resident here. He died at the age of 49 in 1867.
In February 2004, Leong Foke Meng of the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), with the help of the National Environment Agency (NEA), helped to uncover facts confirming Otokichi's remains at the Choa Chu Kang Government Cemeteries. On 27 November 2004, Leong, together with Mihama Town and the Japanese Association, initiated the exhumation of Otokichi's remains at the Choa Chu Kang Christian Cemetery. The remains were later cremated and ashes were stored at the columbarium of the Japanese Cemetery. On 17 February 2005, a delegation of about 100 residents from Mihama Town visited Singapore and brought back to Japan a portion of Otokichi's ashes, realizing the homecoming of Otokichi's remains after 173 years.
Before their repatriation in 1947, the surrendered Japanese prisoners of war who were used as manual laborers by the British took it upon themselves to commemorate their war dead. A group of them decided to clean up the cemetery and set up Hisaichi Terauchi's tombstone in the eastern corner of the cemetery and three tombstones in the western corner of the cemetery with this inscription:
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Japanese Cemetery Park
The Japanese Cemetery Park (Japanese: 日本人墓地公園; rōmaji: Nihonjin bochi kōen) is a cemetery and memorial park in Hougang, Singapore. Covering an area of 29,359 square metres, it is the largest Japanese cemetery in Southeast Asia and contains 910 tombstones. The cemetery servers as the final resting place for members of the Japanese community in Singapore, including civilians, soldiers, and individuals who were executed as war criminals at Changi Prison, as well as others who were involved in the wartime sex trade. The site was gazetted as a memorial park by the Singapore government in 1987.
In 1891, The Japanese brothel owner, Tagajiro Fukaki, donated 7 acres (2.8 ha) of his rubber plantation to be used as a burial ground for young Japanese women who died in destitution. Together with other fellow brothel owners Shibuya Ginji and Nakagawa Kikuzo, Fukaki applied for permission, which was granted by the British colonial government 26 June 1891. Since then, the cemetery has become the final resting place for Japanese residents in Singapore.
During World War II, the cemetery was used to bury civilians and soldiers who had died either on the battlefield or from illness. Following Japan's defeat, the British repatriated all Japanese nationals from Singapore in 1948, no Japanese were allowed back into Singapore or Malaya for fear of their war past. The Singapore government then took over of the cemetery, which remained disused for several years. This policy persisted until the signing of the Official Peace Treaty with Japan in 1951.
In November 1952, Ken Ninomiya, the first post-war Japanese Consul-General to Singapore, was tasked to find out the fate of Japanese war remains in Singapore. After locating the remains, the intention was to repatriate the ashes of the dead. However, the Japanese government later decided against relocating the remains to a separate cemetery or repatriating the ashes. This decision was because the surrendered Japanese personnel had put so much effort into erecting a memorial in the cemetery for their fallen comrades. Additionally, the ashes had been interred in a single mound, making identification impossible.
In 1969, the Singapore government handed back ownership of the cemetery to the reformed Japanese Association, which oversees the maintenance of the cemetery. Burials continued until 1973 when the Singapore government passed an ordinance preventing the further expansion of the 42 cemeteries on the island.
Yamamoto Otokichi, also known as "John Matthew Ottoson", was born in Onoura Villageint Chita District of Owari (now Mihama Town of Aichi Prefecture) in 1818. In 1832, he was a sailor on board the ship "Hojun-maru", which sailed from Ise Bay to Tokyo. The ship drifted out of the sea at Toba in a storm. Otokichi managed to survive the disaster and was washed ashore at Cape Alava on the west coast of the United States after one year and two months. He eventually travelled around the world but Japan's isolationist policy at that time denied his return to his home country. Even after being rejected by his home country, he stayed proud to be a Japanese and helped to promote the opening of the country. He later became a successful trader. In 1862, Otokichi moved from Shanghai and stayed in Singapore with his Malay wife to become the first Japanese resident here. He died at the age of 49 in 1867.
In February 2004, Leong Foke Meng of the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), with the help of the National Environment Agency (NEA), helped to uncover facts confirming Otokichi's remains at the Choa Chu Kang Government Cemeteries. On 27 November 2004, Leong, together with Mihama Town and the Japanese Association, initiated the exhumation of Otokichi's remains at the Choa Chu Kang Christian Cemetery. The remains were later cremated and ashes were stored at the columbarium of the Japanese Cemetery. On 17 February 2005, a delegation of about 100 residents from Mihama Town visited Singapore and brought back to Japan a portion of Otokichi's ashes, realizing the homecoming of Otokichi's remains after 173 years.
Before their repatriation in 1947, the surrendered Japanese prisoners of war who were used as manual laborers by the British took it upon themselves to commemorate their war dead. A group of them decided to clean up the cemetery and set up Hisaichi Terauchi's tombstone in the eastern corner of the cemetery and three tombstones in the western corner of the cemetery with this inscription: