The Japanese Cemetery Park was built in 1891 to serve as the final resting place for Japanese residents in Singapore. These mainly consisted of Japanese merchants and prostitutes that lived in Singapore in the late 19th century to the early 20th century. The cemetery occupies 7 acres of land (more than 28,000 square metres), making it the largest Japanese cemetery in Southeast Asia.

​

After WWI, more Japanese merchants and traders arrived at Singapore, thus the Japanese population in the country grew. After their deaths, they were either buried or cremated at the cemetery with detailed and elaborated tombstones and memorial plaques.

​