 Johor Bahru was founded in 1855 as Iskandar Puteri when the Sultanate of Johor came under the influence of Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim . It was administered from Telok Blangah in Singapore . The area gradually developed into an agricultural centre when the Chinese and the Javanese migrated into the area . The area was renamed " Johor Bahru " in 1862 and became the capital of the Sultanate when the Sultanate administration centre was moved there from Telok Blangah in Singapore . During the reign of Sultan Abu Bakar , there was development and modernisation within the city ; with the construction of administrative buildings , schools , religious buildings , and railways connecting to Singapore . During World War II , the Japanese used the Istana Bukit Serene as their main base to launch a final attack on the last British stronghold in Singapore . Johor Bahru was occupied by the Japanese forces from 1942 to 1945 . After the war , Johor was administered as part of the Unfederated Malay States and Johor Bahru remained as its capital . Johor Bahru became the cradle of Malay nationalism after the war and gave birth to a political party named United Malays National Organisation ( UMNO ) in 1946 . After the formation of Malaysia in 1963 , Johor Bahru retained its status as state capital and was granted city status in 1994 . Central business district was developed in the city centre during the 1990s . More development funds were channelled to the city after the introduction of Iskandar Malaysia in 2006 . 
