2019-09-20 Fri

At the end of World War II to fasten the fall of imperial Japan the Allies commenced dropping airborne propaganda notes over Japanese occupied territory in a large separated geographic location in Southeast Asia.

Its first action of these activities was an airdrop over Singapore and the Malayan States during 1944 and 1945. The British selected the Japanese Government 10 dollar Malayan occupation note for their propaganda message. Printed on Psychological Warfare presses in Calcutta, India these notes, when ready, were delivered to various Royal Air Force bases in India and Burma. From there they were delivered over the target area by the 231st Wing of the RAF.

The purpose of the propaganda message was to undermine Malaysian confidence in the Japanese and their money. The obverse of the genuine Japanese occupation 10 dollar note was altered by adding a diagonal stripe to the photogravure facsimile which read in Malaysian Wang Jepun Akan Mati Bersama Jepun (Japan and its Japanese Money will soon disappear). The reverse of the facsimile contains three columns of text, in Malay, Arabic and Chinese. The translated text illustrated on the banknote reads “Japanese notes are no longer being used in Burma”. The only legal money now being used is British. When the British return to the Malay States, their currency will become valid again as before. Japanese notes will forever disappear together with the Japanese, but genuine British notes will be used forever”.

Image Courtesy: Google images