ABSTRACT
Singapore, the island nation which is (temporary) home to some 30,000 Japanese domiciles is the focus of discussion in this chapter, especially where it concerns its open, cosmopolitan and globalized character seeking constantly to be displayed (noticed) on the world stage. Modern Singapore’s journey from British colony to independence and nationhood is traced in the chapter’s contents. Singapore’s former and less glamorous identity as a colony is contrasted with the rapid economic expansion it experienced in the postwar and post-independence years of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. In these years of struggle with unemployment and poverty before the turn towards industrialization and economic growth, the fledgling government looks northwards to industrialized Japan, not only as major source of foreign investment but also for transfer of technical expertise and knowhow. Japan, as Asia’s then only industrialized country, becomes a major contributor to Singapore’s rapid growth as an independent nation, accounting for the recognizable presence of its Japanese population and the wide range of businesses and services meeting the needs and wants of its predominantly white-collar members. Singapore’s avowed ambition to be a global center of excellence in education means also that international schooling serving a growing expatriate community is readily available.
