Beginning of the Battle of Kranji

Date: February 9, 1942 • Location: Bukit Batok, Singapore

This milestone marked the outbreak and beginning of this historic period, which spanned 1942.

The Imperial Japanese Army began the Battle of Kranji as part of their campaign to capture Singapore.

The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan's rapid modernization during the Meiji period. It also fought in numerous conflicts including the First Sino-Japanese War, Russo-Japanese War, World War I, Second Sino-Japanese War, World War II, and became a dominant force in Japanese politics. Initially formed from samurai domain armies that overthrew the Tokugawa Shogunate, it evolved after the Meiji Restoration into a powerful modern military influenced by French and German models, supported by its own air arm, the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service.