A Different Sky (32 page)

In the distance Howard heard the sound of marching feet, and hid hurriedly behind some trees. Looking up the road he saw what appeared to be a bank of moving foliage bearing down upon him. As the strange sight drew nearer he saw that it was no more than Japanese soldiers, helmets crowned with leafy antlers, a camouflage of foliage. Yet more soldiers followed, straggling into Singapore from their long, hard journey through the jungle of the Malayan Peninsula. Next, battalions of soldiers on bicycles passed him, the whirr of hundreds of revolving wheels like the rush of a powerful wind. Both the antlered soldiers and the cavalry on their wheeled mounts drew to a halt a few yards from Howard, and turned off the road abruptly. He saw then that, a short distance from the bungalow where he had spent the night, a large Japanese encampment was spread out. In sudden panic he realised that he must be behind the Japanese front line.

When at last he saw the road was clear, he began slowly to make his way down Bukit Timah, keeping as best he could behind the shield of bushes and trees. His arm throbbed and his legs felt weak but he forced himself to push on. Eventually, at the junction of Whitley Road and Stevens Road he saw troops again, holed up behind walls of sandbags. These men were not Japanese but British or Australian, and he realised with relief that he must have crossed a demarcation line. He wondered if he should ask about his unit.

‘Get off the road, you bugger!' someone screamed at him from behind the sandbags as he stepped forward. A soldier appeared from nowhere and pulled him roughly out of the way of an oncoming tank.

‘D'you want to get yourself killed?' the man yelled.

‘What's happening?' Howard asked, looking into the man's red and sweating face.

‘We're trying to stop the bloody Japanese advance, that's what's happening.' The man pushed him angrily to one side.

Still unsteady on his feet, Howard half stumbled into the bushes at the side of the road, falling painfully on his injured arm. As he picked himself up he heard shouting and saw soldiers emerging from behind the sandbags, coming forward to line the road. The tank had drawn to a halt and was overtaken by a car, in which could be seen several
military men in peaked caps. The vehicle drove slowly past the tank, and then proceeded up Bukit Timah towards the British front line and the Japanese encampment beyond. It was only after the car had passed that Howard registered the white flag that flew from its roof.

‘Bloody hell. We're surrendering!' a soldier shouted.

S
OON AFTER THE SURRENDER
, when General Yamashita had settled his troops and secured the city of Singapore, he sent
kempetai
officers to Changi Prison to fetch Shinozaki and bring him to Yamashita's headquarters. Since then, Shinozaki had been busy. He had cordial meetings with top military men, although General Yamashita himself, Commander of the 25th Army, had been too busy to say more than, ‘Good, you have come back.' He had met up again with Major Kunitaki, one of the high-ranking officers he had shown about Singapore, a duty that had precipitated his arrest in 1940; Kunitaki was now part of the Planning Office. Shinozaki was surprised to find himself something of a hero because of his time in Changi Prison; his story had been printed in the
Asahi Shimbun
in Japan and in all the army newsletters.

Major-General Kawamura at Defence Headquarters had congratulated him on his safe return in a cultivated voice. ‘You are here so long, and have good relations with the citizens of this place; you are a valuable man. As everything now is in the hands of the military, you need a military title. I will make you Adviser to Defence Headquarters.'

‘What is my job?' Shinozaki asked nervously.

‘To protect the good citizens of this town, and see no mistakes are made by our soldiers. You must wear the Defence Headquarters armband at all times, and you may also have one car for your use,' Kawamura replied.

It was in this car that Shinozaki came to Nanyo Kaiun in Middle Road, to visit Mr Yamaguchi again. Raj had arrived only minutes before, delighted to hear from Mr Ho about Mr and Mrs Yamaguchi's release from internment in an army barracks near Changi Prison. Due to age and infirmity they had not been sent to a camp in India with the rest of the Japanese community at the beginning of the war, when the British rounded them up. Prison life had aged the elderly couple, but
Mr Shinozaki appeared unchanged. The diplomat greeted Raj warmly; his visit to Changi with books and pickles had not been forgotten.

‘I read
Nanking Road
and
Crime and Punishment
many times,' Shinozaki laughed as they sat down once again to drink beer at Yamaguchi's low Japanese table. His visit would have to be brief, Shinozaki said, as he had an appointment with some young auxiliary
kempei.
The beer and camaraderie about the table lowered his natural reticence, and he voiced some reservations about these recruits to the army's dreaded special intelligence unit.

‘These men should not be used to help the regular
kempei
with law and order. The auxiliary
kempei
are very young soldiers, and not well educated because they are from the countryside. They are very strong for fighting, very brave, but do not really have much common sense. Like all villagers they are pure of heart, but ignorant. The only thing they do well is to die when ordered. They are never afraid to die. However, they know nothing of the local people; I shall have my work cut out for me.' Shinozaki lifted his glass for Mrs Yamaguchi to refill with beer. He had brought this beer with him from the store at Defence Headquarters. It was a long time since any of them had tasted beer. He had also brought tins of Naval Cut cigarettes for Yamaguchi. Both men were smoking determinedly, and the room was thick with tobacco fumes as they savoured the taste of nicotine and beer, remembering the difficulties of the past two years.

‘In Changi my salary for repairing mailbags was three cigarettes and three matches a day. Later, there were no more cigarettes and that was hard,' Shinozaki said.

Mrs Yamaguchi's hair had turned white, and although she was alarmingly stooped and frail, she was as usual immaculately dressed in a kimono. Yamaguchi had lost his paunch and his cheeks hung loosely about his wide jaw. Although his eyes were rheumy and he was missing some teeth, his joviality was as before. Their home had been saved from the local looters after the surrender because it was up on the first floor. Mr Ono the barber on the ground floor had had his chairs and basins ripped out, and not a camera remained at Nemoto's Photo Studio.

‘I went to Nassim Road this morning, to see the Swiss Consul-General. I had orders from Tokyo to get back the Imperial Seal, and all the documents of the Japanese Consulate that had been given to the Swiss for safe keeping when we Japanese were interned. Nassim
Road was full of looters. They were local people, stripping the big European houses, carrying off whatever they could. These looters are the only people out on the streets since we entered the city. The
kempetai
will not like this lawless behaviour.' Shinozaki exhaled smoke and then turned to Raj, observing him appraisingly.

‘I need a young man to assist me, someone local I can trust to liaise with the different communities. All businesses now belong to the military; everything must now be done through the military authorities. Singapore is to be rebuilt in the Japanese way,' Shinozaki explained. Raj was taken by surprise, and was about to ask a question when there was a loud rapping on Yamaguchi's front door. A tall Japanese army officer entered the room, gold buttons agleam on his uniform, and gave a brief bow. Yamaguchi beckoned him in effusively.

‘We have some good beer at last, Shinozaki-san has brought it for us,' Yamaguchi said as the man took off his peaked cap and knelt to join them at the table. It was only then, much to everyone's amusement, that Raj recognised his Japanese teacher, Takeshi Nakamura.

‘Doesn't he look handsome in his uniform?' Yamaguchi chuckled.

‘You've joined the army? I thought you were in Bangkok.' Raj was puzzled.

‘I came from Bangkok the day after the surrender with Major Fujiwara,' Takeshi replied.

‘Takeshi is with Army Intelligence Centre. He's part of Fujiwara Kikan, a vital intelligence unit,' Shinozaki said as he lit another cigarette. Takeshi leaned forward to explain.

‘In Fujiwara Kikan we work to free Asia from colonial exploitation. We are also working with the different Nationalist organisations in Asia, like your Indian Independence League whom we support.'

‘I thought you were a Japanese teacher,' Raj protested, feeling suddenly like a swimmer in a choppy sea. Shinozaki and Yamaguchi laughed indulgently, and Takeshi gave a condescending smile.

‘You could say I was a Japanese teacher with a special purpose. F. Kikan is centred in Bangkok, and from there we spread out to prepare for the invasion,' he explained.

‘You needed a teacher, he needed a student.' Yamaguchi chuckled and Takeshi nodded, amused.

‘All Indian civilians should now join the Indian Independence League to fight for Indian independence with Japan's help. Singapore will be
the League's headquarters; everything will happen from here. We have also established a military wing, the Indian National Army, and are now recruiting for this.' Takeshi accepted a glass of beer from Mrs Yamaguchi before continuing.

‘Many Indian soldiers in the British army have already come over to the Japanese side. These Indian soldiers are now part of the new Indian National Army, and will invade and liberate India together with the Japanese army.' Takeshi's shaven head gleamed and his narrow eyes flashed in satisfaction.

Shinozaki raised his glass to drain the last of his beer and then, looking at his watch, prepared to take his leave. ‘No detectives standing downstairs to trail us now,' he remarked with a chuckle to Yamaguchi. Takeshi also readied himself to leave with Shinozaki, pulling down his high-collared jacket and putting on his peaked military cap. At the door Shinozaki paused before leaving, and turned to Raj.

‘Come to my office tomorrow morning,' he instructed him.

Raj left Middle Road a few minutes later and returned to Serangoon Road, anxious to pass on his news about the formation of an Indian National Army to his brother-in-law. He found Krishna in a state of high excitement; men from Fujiwara Kikan had already paid him a visit.

‘They're wasting no time. Everyone in the Youth League has already been visited and told to join the Indian Independence League. After that, if they want to go on and join the Indian National Army, they will receive military training. This is the moment we have waited for. The Japanese intend to liberate India and give us Independence. Soon we'll have Home Rule and I will then be able to return home.'

As they talked, Leila spread banana leaves before them and spooned out rice and vegetables. Krishna was too excited to eat. ‘I am to be part of the new organising committee of the Indian Independence League. Rash Behari Bose, the great freedom fighter living in exile in Japan, is coming here to organise Indians from all over Asia into one great movement. The Indian National Army will also train civilian volunteers like myself, and I am going to join them.' Krishna could not contain his euphoria.

In the morning Raj reported to Mr Shinozaki's office at Defence Headquarters in Fort Canning. Impressive colonial buildings, an ancient
botanical garden and an old cemetery that dated back to the time of Raffles topped the slopes of shady paths and trees. The place was now awash with Japanese army men hurrying about on pressured errands. An order had come from the Emperor of Japan to rename the city Syonan, Light of the East. The town remained plagued by looting and the sky above dark with the smoke of oil that continued to burn at the Naval Base; there was little water, food, gas or electricity. Corpses still lay rotting on every corner amongst heaps of rubble, their stench pervading the town. Sitting at a small desk piled with stacks of paper, Shinozaki was full of concern at this state of affairs.

‘There is much work to be done if we are to live up to the Emperor's expectations. We Japanese are freed from internment. Now it is our turn to round up British civilians and intern them in Changi. We are exchanging places. British army POWs will have the job of clearing the city of corpses.' Shinozaki looked at Raj over his spectacles, surrounded by tobacco fumes. A cigarette burned between his fingers, an ashtray of cigarette butts sat on the desk before him and his brow was furrowed with distraction as he explained his job at Defence Headquarters. As they talked, people came in and out of the room to take orders from Shinozaki. From the nature of the instructions Shinozaki gave, Raj gathered that the diplomat now commanded an army of spies gathering information in the manner of hungry bees. An orderly entered with a pot of coffee and Shinozaki welcomed the break.

‘How I longed for good coffee in Changi. I expected every day to be executed. In fact I'm surprised to find myself still alive,' he sighed, lighting up another cigarette and pouring out cups of the strong brew for himself and Raj.

‘Everyone will now need a Good Citizen Pass for their protection. I do not want to see ordinary citizens troubled by our military administration. People must not be afraid to move about. You must help me with these passes; each must be written by hand. You must learn how to write Japanese characters in order to do this. I have given the cook at the Toyo Hotel where I am staying, a pass. He brought many of his relatives to see me. This is my cousin, this is my uncle, he said, and I gave them all passes. You had also better have one immediately.' Shinozaki reached for a piece of stiff paper, the pen scratching as he wrote, the soft whirr of the ceiling fan breaking the silence and stirring
the trapped cloud of smoke. Finally, he stamped the card with his seal, and translated the Japanese characters for Raj.

‘“Bearer of this card is known to us since before the war. Please look after or protect him.” That is what it says. My title, Adviser to Defence Headquarters, is a powerful one. Keep this safe.' Shinozaki handed the paper to Raj.