What were the roles of the malay sultans during the Japanese Occupation? (Malaya History)

In 1942, each province was ruled by a Japanese officer or general with a staff of military administrators, who were guided by a system that existed in the provinces of Japan. The Malay Sultans were left at their former posts, but they were deprived of any real power, and even salaries issued by the British. However, since 1943, Japanese policy has become more flexible. The Japanese administration in Malaya headed for engaging feudal bureaucratic circles in cooperation, trying to keep the Malay peasantry in obedience and compensate for the lack of social support in the city. In January 1943, the Japanese command in Malaya confirmed the status of the Sultans as the religious heads of their states and returned them their previous salaries, i. e., openly assumed the protectionist functions of the British. A few months later, state councils in the sultanates were restored.