List of place names used during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong

During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, as part of their assimilation policy, Japanese governors advocated for the changing of English and Chinese place names of streets and buildings into Japanese, the official lingua franca. This is a partial list of all street names changed during the Japanese occupation; due to incomplete historical data, it is difficult to verify some place names in the table according to phonetic or transcript.

Announcement by the Japanese government on the renaming of streets and places

Administrative divisions edit

District Name Kanji[1] Notes[2][3]
Hong Kong Island
(香港島, Honkon-tō)
Naka-ku 中區 Now Central District (中環)
Nishi-ku 西區 Now Sheung Wan (上環)
Mizuki-ku 水城區 Now Sai Ying Pun (西營盤)
Kuramae-ku 藏前區 Now Shek Tong Tsui (石塘嘴)
Sanno-ku 山王區 Now Kennedy Town (堅尼地城)
Higashi-ku 東區 Now Wan Chai (灣仔)
Kasuga-ku 春日區 Now Canal Road (鵝頸)
Aoba-ku 青葉區 Now Happy Valley (跑馬地)
Dorawan-ku 銅鑼灣區 Now Causeway Bay (銅鑼灣)
Shokiwan-ku 筲箕灣區 Now Shau Kei Wan (筲箕灣) and North Point (北角)
Motominato-ku 元港區 Now Aberdeen (香港仔) and Pok Fu Lam (薄扶林)
Sekichū-ku 赤柱區 Now Stanley (赤柱)
Kowloon
(九龍, Kyūryū)
Minato-ku 湊區 Now Tsim Sha Tsui (尖沙咀)
Yamashita-ku 山下區 Now Hung Hom (紅磡)
Katori-ku 香取區 Now Yau Ma Tei (油麻地)
Daikaku-ku 大角區 Now Tai Kok Tsui (大角咀) and Mong Kok (旺角)
Aoyama-ku 青山區 Now Sham Shui Po (深水埗)
Kajima-ku, Kashima-ku 鹿島區 Now Kowloon Tong (九龍塘)
Moto-ku 元區 Now Kowloon City (九龍城)
Keitoku-ku 啓德區 Now East Kowloon (東九龍)
Senwan-ku 荃灣區 Now Tsuen Wan (荃灣)
Saiko-ku 西貢區 Now Sai Kung District (西貢)
New Territories
(新界, Shinkai)
Shaden-ku 沙田區 Now Sha Tin (沙田)
Taiho-ku 大埔區 Now Tai Po (大埔)
Josui-ku 上水區 Now Sheung Shui (上水) and Fanling (粉嶺)
Shinden-ku 新田區 Now New Territories North (新界北)
Shatokaku-ku 沙頭角區 Now Sha Tau Kok (沙頭角)
Genro-ku 元朗區 Now Yuen Long (元朗) and Tuen Mun (屯門)

Location names edit

Hong Kong Island edit

Name Kanji[1][2][4] Notes[5]
Nioigamine 香ヶ峯 Now Victoria Peak (太平山)
Honkon-kō 香港港 Now Victoria Harbour (維多利亞港)
Midorigahama 綠ヶ濱 Now Repulse Bay (淺水灣)
Midorigahama Hoteru 綠ヶ濱ホテル Now Repluse Bay Hotel (淺水灣酒店)
Shōwahiroba 昭和廣塲 Now Statue Square (皇后像廣場)
青葉峽競馬場 Now Happy Valley Racecourse (跑馬地馬場)
Taishō Koyen 大正公園, 香港神社 Now the Zoological and Botanical Gardens (香港動植物公園)
Sanno-dai 山王台 Now Kennedy Town (堅尼地城)
Motohonkon 元香港 Now Aberdeen Harbor (香港仔)
Motohonkonwan 元香港灣 Now Aberdeen Bay (石排灣)
Motohonkonkaikyo 元香港海峽 Now Aberdeen Channel (香港仔海峽)
Yawatadori-Hiroba 八幡通廣場 Now the Southorn Playground (修頓球場)
琉璜海峽 Now Sulphur Channel (硫磺海峽)
Chuo-Ichiba 中央市場 Now Central Market (中環街市)

Kowloon edit

Name Kanji[4][6] Notes[5]
Toa Hoteru 東亞ホテル Now the Peninsula Hotel (半島酒店)
Kyuriu-Kyogijio 九龍競技塲 Now King's Park (京士柏)
向島 Now Stonecutters Island (昂船洲)
官富山 Now Ping Shan (平山)
中興市場 Now Chung King Market (重慶市場)

New Territories edit

Kanji[2] Notes[2]
巨洲 Now Kau Sai Chau (滘西洲)
高洲 Now High Island (粮船灣)
黃麖山 Now Tiu Tang Lung (吊燈籠)
吉澳洲 Now Kat O (吉澳)
大嶼島 Now Lantau Island (大嶼山)
博寮島 Now Lamma Island (南丫島)
長洲島 Now Cheung Chau (長洲)
坪洲島 Now Peng Chau (坪洲)
青衣島 Now Tsing Yi (青衣)
馬灣島 Now Ma Wan (馬灣)
屯門澳 Now Castle Peak Bay (青山灣)
平山 Now Ping Shan (屏山)
鳳洲 Now Tai Long Wan (大浪灣)
鳳山[7] Now Tai Long Au (大浪坳)
鴉洲 Now Tai A Chau (大鴉洲)
海關凹 Now Duckling Hill (鴨仔山)

Street names edit

District Name Kanji[8][1] Notes[5]
Hong Kong Island Nishisumiyoshi-dori 西住吉通 Now Connaught Road West (干諾道西)
Nakasumiyoshi-dori 中住吉通 Now Connaught Road Center (干諾道中)
Higashisumiyoshi-dori 東住吉通 Now Gloucester Road (告士打道)
Nishimeiji-dori 西明治通 Now Queen's Road West (皇后大道西)
Nakameiji-dori 中明治通 Now Queen's Road Central (皇后大道中)
Higashimeiji-dori 東明治通 Now Queen's Road East (皇后大道東) and Queensway (金鐘道)
Nishishōwa-dori 西昭和通 Now Des Voeux Road West (德輔道西)
Higashishōwa-dori 東昭和通 Now Des Voeux Road Central (德輔道中)
Nishitaishō-dori 西大正通 Now Bonham Road (般咸道)
Nakataishō-dori 中大正通 Now Caine Road (堅道) and Upper Albert Road (上亞厘畢道)
Higashitaishō-dori 東大正通 Now Kennedy Road (堅尼地道)
Yawata-dori 八幡通 Now Hennessy Road (軒尼詩道) and Johnston Road (莊士敦道)
Kasuga-dori 春日通 Now Yee Wo Street (怡和街)
Higawa-dori 氷川通 Now Causeway Road (高士威道)
Hokoku-dori 豐國通 Now King's Road (英皇道)
Izumo-dori 出雲通 Now Conduit Road (干德道)
Kirishima-dori 霧島通 Now Bowen Road (寶雲道)
Kowloon Katori-dori 香取通 Now Nathan Road (彌敦道)
Kashima-dori 鹿島通 Now Prince Edward Road (太子道)

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Xiao, Xixue (2016). Hong Kong City Exploration. Zhonghua Book Company (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. p. 226. ISBN 9789888420056.
  2. ^ a b c d Hong Kong under Military Administration : The Core of the New Greater East Asia [軍政下の香港:新生した大東亜の中核]. Toyo Economic Newspaper. 17 February 1944. p. 320.
  3. ^ Ho, Pui-yin (2018). Making Hong Kong - A History of its Urban Development. Edward Elgar Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-78811-794-4.
  4. ^ a b Yonghao, Huang (2014). Leisure, beach and sea bathing: Hong Kong's swimming history [ 閒暇、海濱與海浴:香江游泳史]. Sanlian Bookstore (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. pp. 181–182. ISBN 978-962-04-3479-2.
  5. ^ a b c Ward, Robert S. (1943). Hong Kong Under Japanese Occupation: A Case Study in the Enemy's Techniques of Control. Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce.
  6. ^ Tangzhuo, Min (2015). Cold and Wet ── relics from the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong [ 淒風苦雨──從文物看日佔香港]. Zhonghua Book Company (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. p. 194. ISBN 978-988-8340-90-3.
  7. ^ "Temporary closure of hiking trails". Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Press Bulletin. 20 May 2014.
  8. ^ "History and Culture Course Secondary Three-Topic 4 [歷史與文化課程中三年級 - 課題四]" (PDF). Hong Kong Education Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 January 2016.