Japanese katana surrendered in Malaya, 1945

Despite the Japanese surrender on 15 August 1945, it took several months for the British to formally take control of its former colonies that the Japanese had captured earlier in the war.

The Japanese had captured Malaya in 1941, and were still in control in 1945. British plans to recapture Malaya had been codenamed Operation Mailfist and had centred on the recapture of Singapore. With the end of the war, these plans were mostly abandoned when it became clear that the Japanese forces in Malaya were not going to contest the British re-occupation. The first Japanese garrison to surrender was in Penang on 2 September 1945, leading to subsequent surrenders. A formal surrender ceremony took place in Singapore on 12 September.

This sword was surrendered by Sambo Emi, the commander of Japanese forces in Kuantan, Malaya, to Lieutenant-Colonel N M Brodie of the Punjab Regiment on 5 October 1945.