At approximately 10.20 p.m., 3 Japanese transport ships with other warships dropped its anchor one and half miles from Kuala Pak Amat and Sabak beach near Kota Bharu. The ships carried an estimated 5,300 men mark the beginning of World War II in Malaya.

The attack on Kota Bharu begin and by 12.25 a.m. on 8 December 1941, the Japanese had landed. The landing and the fighting between the British and the Japanese troops was a most fierce and bloodiest fighting scene ever in Malaya.

By 9 December 1941, with an additional reinforcement troops, the Japanese moved into Kota Bharu town after occupying the Pengkalan Chepa airport a day earlier. The British continued their withdrawal to Kuala Krai and then to Terengganu. By 22 December 1941, the Japanese completely occupied Kelantan.

Although Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour in Hawaii on 7 December 1941, due to the time difference, the Japanese actually attacked Kota Bharu one and a half hours earlier. Imagine the British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill learnt the attack of Pearl Harbour first before he knew that his own British colony (in this case Kelantan) was attacked by the Japanese earlier.

The reason the Japanese decided to attack and occupy Malaya was partly of economic reason beside to cater to its expansion plan. After the Japanese occupied the Indo-China, the British, Holland and United States imposed a trade embargo on them. This totally cut off the supply of rubber and tin from Malaya as well as oil, bauxite and nickel from Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia).

The Japanese immediately put Kelantan under its military administration. The currency was changed to the military dollar notes issued by the government of Nippon.

In Kota Bharu, the branch of the Yokohama Specie Bank was set up to carry out banking business.

Life was tough during the Japanese occupation. Besides a scarcity of necessities of life, there emerged the black markets to supply the necessities in limited quantities at unlimited prices. The currency notes issued by Japanese became worthless due to escalating rate of inflation. The notes became popular known as "banana money" because of the banana tree on the ten cent note.

In July 1943, Japanese Prime Minister Hikeki Tojo announced that the Northern Malay States Comprising Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis to be surrendered to Thailand. This was part of the agreement sighed between the Japanese and the Thai Government at the end of December 1941. From 18 October 1943, Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis were under the administration by the Thai.

For those you history buffs, be sure to visit our World War II Museum downtown.

The Japanese Invasion of Kelantan in 1941

Dato' HL (Mike) Wrigglesworth