High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Sook Ching Massacre was a systematic extermination of perceived hostile elements among the Chinese in Singapore by the Japanese military during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, after the British colony surrendered on 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. Sook Ching was later extended to include Chinese Malayans as well. The massacre took place from 18 February to 4 March 1942 at various places in the region. The term Sook Ching means "a purge through cleansing" in Chinese and it was referred to as the Kaky?shukusei, or "purging of Chinese") by the Japanese. The Japanese also referred to it as the Shingap?ru Daikensh?, lit. "great inspection of Singapore".