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Singapore Japanese Cemetery Park

The Singapore Japanese Cemetery Park, the largest Japanese cemetery in Southeast Asia, is located on Chuan Hoe Avenue, a quiet residential area in the Serangoon district. Established over 120 years ago, this cemetery covers a vast area of approximately 30,000 square meters and contains over 900 gravestones. Originally a rubber plantation, gravestones were erected to mourn the Japanese women who succumbed to illness. Here, you can see numerous gravestones that mark the history of Japan and Southeast Asia, including those of soldiers and soldiers who lost their lives in the Pacific War, and monuments to "martyrs" who were executed as war criminals.

You can also see a monument to Futabatei Shimei, who died of illness in the Indian Ocean while returning from Europe, and a monument to Otokichi, the first Japanese person to settle in Singapore.

Part 1: Singapore Japanese Cemetery

Futaki Tagajiro ran a rubber plantation on this land.

In 1889, Futaki, who had emigrated to Singapore as a sailor, achieved success in general merchandise sales and rubber plantation management. Futaki was deeply saddened by the sight of young Japanese women, including the "karayuki-san" (Japanese prostitutes who worked as prostitutes abroad), dying from illness and sometimes being buried in cattle and horse burial grounds. To provide a place for them to rest peacefully, he applied to the British colonial government to designate his rubber plantation as a cemetery, and in 1891, he received permission to use it as such. This marked the beginning of the Japanese cemetery. At the same time, the Mutual Aid Association, a management organization for the cemetery, was established, later becoming the Singapore Japanese Association. Approximately 60 years after its founding, in 1949, four years after the end of World War II, the British colonial government forcibly confiscated the Japanese cemetery. In 1952, the San Francisco Treaty was signed, the Japanese Consulate General reopened, and the following year, 1953, the management of the cemetery was conditionally entrusted to the Consulate General.

In 1957, the Japanese Association, which had disappeared after the war, was re-established, spurred by the cleaning and maintenance of the cemetery. In 1969, the cemetery was finally returned to the Japanese Association. However, in 1973, the Singaporean government issued a burial ban on 42 cemeteries nationwide, including the Japanese cemetery. Despite this, the cemetery survived thanks to the cleaning and maintenance efforts of the Japanese Association. In 1987, the Singaporean government attempted to forcibly seize the cemetery, but the Japanese Association appealed to the Japanese Ambassador to Singapore, and together with the combined efforts of the government and private sector, petitioned the Singaporean government. As a result, the government granted permission for the cemetery to continue operating under a 30-year lease, and it remains so to this day.

Currently, it serves as a cemetery park, a beloved place of relaxation for children and local residents. Having been preserved by the Japanese community through war, urban development, and many other historical upheavals, this park has undoubtedly become an irreplaceable presence for many people.

This is an interview video with Yuko Gan, a local guide at Japanese cemeteries with 45 years of experience. She is originally from Kagoshima Prefecture and married a Chinese Singaporean in 1967, moving to Singapore. Currently, she is an active veteran guide on various historical site tours organized by the Singapore Japanese Association.

Of the approximately 910 graves currently in the area, about 400 are believed to belong to women who were prostituted overseas. At the end of the 19th century, many of these women were unable to return to Japan and died in this area, where they now rest in this cemetery.

In this cemetery, you will come across many graves of unknown individuals whose death dates are unclear. Records show that there were approximately 1300 gravestones immediately after World War II. However, wooden gravestones and other structures have decayed due to exposure to the elements, and about one-third have disappeared to this day.

Part Two : Yuko Gan

During the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa periods, there were apparently many wooden gravestones, so the number of people who rest in this cemetery is likely many times greater. There are also wooden gravestones whose inscriptions are illegible, and stone gravestones whose writing is damaged and unreadable. The most striking is an unnamed gravestone inscribed with "Seirei Bosatsu" (Spirit Bodhisattva). It is said that this gravestone, which had fallen into disrepair, was restored by Japanese people at the time. If so, it conveys the warmth of the hearts of the people of that era. I can only hope that these gravestones, weathered by the elements, will remain in people's records and serve as valuable historical documents. In this interview, we introduce stories heard and seen by Yuko Kao, who has worked as a guide at the Singapore Japanese Cemetery for many years.

Location of Singapore Japanese Cemetery Park

825B Chuan Hoe Avenue, Singapore 549853

Opening hours: Daily 8:00 am - 6:30 pm

The park is generally open on public holidays as well.

Park Information: Admission is free.

There is a donation box.

There are vending machines for drinks.

There are no shops nearby.

Reference links

Singapore Japanese Association Cemetery Park Guide

Japanese Cemetery Park Visit Singapore Official Website

Introduction video of Singapore's former Japanese quarter