The occupation of Hong Kong by the Japanese military during World War II was a difficult time for the local population. As a direct result of the Japanese military's cruel treatment of the civilian people, the population decreased from 1.6 million to 600,000 in the span of just three years.
Several people were murdered or starved to death, and the survivors of these atrocities were frequently left with severe psychological scars as a result of their ordeals. The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong resulted in the destruction of enterprises and the neglect of the city's infrastructure, both of which were detrimental to the city's economy. Even after the war had finished, the people of Hong Kong continued to suffer since the authorities of the British colony did not make sufficient efforts to assist in the reconstruction of the city.
When the 1970s came to an end, Hong Kong finally started to make a comeback from the devastation that had been created by the Japanese occupation.