The State Bank of Burma was a Japanese-sponsored institution established after the Imperial Japanese Army occupied Rangoon in 1942. This 100 Kyats note was issued under that occupation administration, part of a currency series designed to displace British Burmese notes and fund wartime procurement — effectively a mechanism for extracting local resources without direct military expenditure.
By 1945, the entire occupation currency series was repudiated by the returning Allied administration, rendering these notes worthless almost overnight. Surviving examples in any condition owe their existence largely to that sudden demonetization, which halted circulation before normal attrition could destroy them.
The State Bank of Burma was a Japanese-sponsored institution established after the Imperial Japanese Army occupied Rangoon in 1942. This 100 Kyats note was issued under that occupation administration, part of a currency series designed to displace British Burmese notes and fund wartime procurement — effectively a mechanism for extracting local resources without direct military expenditure.
By 1945, the entire occupation currency series was repudiated by the returning Allied administration, rendering these notes worthless almost overnight. Surviving examples in any condition owe their existence largely to that sudden demonetization, which halted circulation before normal attrition could destroy them.