Watch Movies2Watch. Second part of the Mare Senki (Malaya War Record) series produced by Nihon Eigasha in 1942. While the first installment documented the Japanese advance through Malaya, Birth of Syonan-to portrays Singapore under occupation after its fall in February 1942. The film shows the renaming of the city to Shōnan-tō (“Light of the South”), Japanese victory celebrations, military parades, and efforts to depict the transformation of the colony under Japanese rule. Designed as a propaganda feature, it aimed to legitimize occupation and emphasize Japan’s leadership in the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.