Under Another Sun

Filmmaker Chet Kincaid's Under Another Sun tells the story of 140 years of Japanese emigration to Singapore, beginning with the arrival of a shipwrecked Japanese sailor in 1862. During that period, the Japanese shogun forbade people to leave the islands of Japan, but when a storm swept a man named Otokichi's vessel off course, he eventually ended up in Singapore, where he worked for a British merchant company, married a Malay wife, and started a family before returning to Japan. As it happened, shortly thereafter the travel and trading ban was lifted and a small wave of emigrants--primarily poor prostitutes--emigrated to Singapore. By the early 1900s Singapore had become the sex trade capital of Asia, as 60% of the 1,000 Japanese residents were female prostitutes, with another 10% serving as pimps or running brothels. An embarrassment to the Japanese government, the consul eventually ordered the houses of ill repute to be shut down, paving the way for Japanese businessmen to set up shop. After WWII, Singapore made an effort to attract a wider range of businesses and now enjoys the reputation of being one of the world's major industrial port cities. Drawing on interviews with historians, anthropologists, and Japanese residents, this title explores how traditional Japanese cultural and social values have undergone adaptations in Singapore's emigrants of Japanese descent. While suitable for high school and public library collections, Under Another Sun's primary audience will be Asian studies collections in academic libraries. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (L. Stevens)