Four Issues on the Military Government of Hong Kong during Japanese Occupation

In view of the latest social distancing measures announced by the Government, the talk will now be conducted online. The talk's link will be sent to registered participants via email.

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Four Issues on the Military Government of Hong Kong during Japanese Occupation: Banknote Printers, Quarantine Ships, the Hong Kong Shrine and the Bacterial Research Institute of Hong Kong

Speaker: Professor Fung Kam Wing (Fellow, Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences, The University of Hong Kong)

Language: Cantonese

Abstract:

On 26th December, 1941, the Hong Kong Administration Board was founded by the Japanese forces in the Peninsula Hotel in Kowloon; on the 30th, the Military Government introduced the “Provisional Regulations for the Business Conduct of Hong Kong Administration Board” which was co-headed by Lieutenant-General Takashi Sakai (酒井隆) of the Japanese Army and Vice-Admiral Masaichi Niimi (新見政一) of the Japanese Navy. On 19th January, 1942, the Japanese forces announced the replacement of the Administration Board by the “Hong Kong Governor’s Office” and the appointment of Lieutenant-General Rensuke Isogai (磯谷廉介) as the Governor to transform military to civil governance on 20th February. This talk aims to reveal the four unknown aspects of the Japanese occupation: (1) the control and the removal of Chung Hwa Books (HK)’s banknote printers; (2) Japanese maritime hospital and quarantine ships anchored in Victoria Harbour; (3) the design and the construction of the Hong Kong Shrine; and (4) the staff of the Bacterial Research Institute of Hong Kong and their research. This talk is part of the "The Fall and Rebirth of the City: Hong Kong during the Japanese Occupation" Talk Series.

​Speaker’s Bio:

Professor Fung Kam Wing  is a fellow of Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences at The University of Hong Kong. He is Professor of fZhu Kezhen History of Science at Chinese Academy of Sciences, Visiting Professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Board Director and Guest Curator of "The World of Paper" exhibition at the Hong Kong Maritime