Editing Hong Kong Island (section)

==== Japanese invasion and occupation ====
The [[Second World War]] was a dark period for Hong Kong. In the 1930s, the British anticipated a Japanese attack on Hong Kong. As [[Wong Nai Chung Gap]] was a strategically important location of defence, large-scale defensive works were constructed there, including [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft batteries]], [[howitzer]]s and [[machine gun]] nests.

The [[Battle of Hong Kong]] began on 8 December 1941. [[British Army|British]], [[Canadian Army|Canadian]] and [[Indian Army during World War II|Indian]] armies and the [[Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers)|Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Forces]] resisted the Japanese invasion commanded by [[Sakai Takashi]], which began eight hours after the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]]. However, the Japanese took control of the Hong Kong skies on the first day of attack and outnumbered the defenders, which retreated from the [[Gin Drinkers Line]] and consequently from [[Kowloon]] under heavy aerial bombardment and artillery barrage.

On 18 December, the Japanese had conquered [[North Point]], reaching the [[Wong Nai Chung Gap]] on the following day. English, Scottish forces and the [[The Winnipeg Grenadiers|Canadian Winnipeg Grenadiers]] vigorously defended the crucial point of Wong Nai Chung Gap, and for a while successfully secured the passage between Central and the secluded southern parts of the island. Japanese casualties were about 600. However, Allied forces there were ultimately defeated by the Japanese on 23 December, and [[Wong Nai Chung Reservoir Park|Wong Nai Chung Reservoir]] was lost. As [[Wan Chai Gap]] had also fallen that same day, the British had no choice but to surrender.

Hong Kong surrendered to the Japanese on 25 December 1941, thereafter often called "[[Black Christmas (Hong Kong)|Black Christmas]]" by locals as the surrender was on Christmas. The [[Governor of Hong Kong]], [[Mark Aitchison Young|Mark Young]], surrendered in-person at the temporary Japanese headquarters, on the third floor of the [[The Peninsula Hong Kong|Peninsula Hotel]], thus beginning the [[Japanese occupation of Hong Kong]]. [[Rensuke Isogai|Isogai Rensuke]] became the first Japanese governor of Hong Kong. [[Hyperinflation|Hyper-inflation]] and [[food rationing]] followed; and the Japanese declared [[Hong Kong dollar|Hong Kong Dollars]] illegal. The Japanese enforced a [[repatriation]] policy throughout the period of occupation due to the scarcity of food and the possible counter-attack of the Allies. As a result, the unemployed were deported to the [[mainland China|Mainland]], and the population of Hong Kong had dwindled from 1.6 million in 1941 to 600,000 in 1945.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Other Hong Kong Report 1989|author=T. L. Tsim|publisher=Chinese University Press|date=Jan 1, 1989|page=391}}</ref>