Cika wannan magana: Fashewar yaƙi a cikin Pacific a watan Disamba na 1941 ya sami 'yan Burtaniya a Malaya gaba ɗaya ba a shirya ba. A lokacin 1930s, suna tsammanin barazanar da sojojin ruwan Japan ke yi, sun gina babban sansanin sojan ruwa a Singapore, amma ba su taɓa tsammanin mamayewar Malaya daga arewa ba. Saboda bukatun yakin a Turai, babu kusan ikon jirgin sama na Birtaniya a Gabas ta Tsakiya. Don haka Jafananci sun sami damar kai hari daga sansanonin su a cikin Indo-China na Faransa ba tare da wata matsala ba, kuma duk da tsayayyar juriya daga sojojin Burtaniya, Ostiraliya, da Indiya, sun
sun mamaye Malaya cikin watanni biyu. Singapore, ba tare da kariya ta ƙasa ba, ba tare da kariya ta iska ba, kuma ba tare da samar da ruwa ba, an tilasta masa mika wuya a watan Fabrairun 1942. An kuma mamaye Borneo ta Arewa da Brunei.