Japanese invasion money (JIM) was paper money used by the Japanese to establish economic control in occupied areas during World War Two. Blocks or code letters (e.g. MA or M/AH) were printed on the paper money for circulation control. The first letter of the code indicates where the money was used. In this case, paper money with blocks starting with the letter ‘M’ was used in Malaya (and Singapore). JIM issued in Malaya was known as ‘banana money’, a term originated from the motif of the banana tree on the obverse of the ten dollar notes. This five dollar note features a coconut tree (left) and papaya tree (right) on the obverse.
