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The Japanese occupation of the Gilbert Islands was the period in the
history of Kiribati
The islands which now form the Republic of Kiribati have been inhabited for at least seven hundred years, and possibly much longer. The initial Austronesian peoples’ population, which remains the overwhelming majority today, was visited by P ...
between 1941 and 1945 when Imperial Japanese forces occupied the Gilbert Islands
The Gilbert Islands ( gil, Tungaru;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this n ...
during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, in the Pacific War
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vas ...
theatre.
From 1941 to 1943, Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...
forces occupied the islands, and from 1942 until 1945 Ocean Island which was home to the headquarters of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands
The Gilbert and Ellice Islands (GEIC as a colony) in the Pacific Ocean were part of the British Empire from 1892 to 1976. They were a protectorate from 1892 to 12 January 1916, and then a colony until 1 January 1976. The history of the colony w ...
colony (GEIC).Macdonald, B. K. (1982). Cinderellas of the Empire: Towards a History of Kiribati and Tuvalu, Australian National University Press, Canberra.
Preparations
On 29 November 1941, Operation ''Gi'' (forGilbert Islands
The Gilbert Islands ( gil, Tungaru;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this n ...
) was decided within the Japanese 4th Fleet and departed from Truk, headquarters of the South Seas Mandate
The South Seas Mandate, officially the Mandate for the German Possessions in the Pacific Ocean Lying North of the Equator, was a League of Nations mandate in the " South Seas" given to the Empire of Japan by the League of Nations following W ...
. The flagship was the minelayer ''Okinoshima'', and the operation included the minelayers ''Tsugaru'' and ''Tenyo Maru'' and cruiser ''Tokiwa'', ''Nagata Maru
The was a Japanese cargo ship owned by Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Tokyo. The ship was entered service in 1937.
The name ''Nagata Maru'' derives from Nagata jinja, a Shinto shrine in Nagata Ward, Kobe, Japan.Richard, Ponsonby-Fane. (1964) '' Visiti ...
'', escorted by ''Asanagi'' and ''Yūnagi'' of the Destroyer Division 29/Section 1. The Chitose Naval Air Group provided air cover. On 2 December 1941, ''Okinoshima'' received the signal "Climb Mt. Niitaka 1208", signifying that hostilities would start on 8 December. ''Okinoshima'' arrived at Jaluit
Jaluit Atoll ( Marshallese: , , or , ) is a large coral atoll of 91 islands in the Pacific Ocean and forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is , and it encloses a lagoon with an area of . Mos ...
and embarked a SNLF, from 51st Guards Force. She departed from Jaluit on 6 December and joined ''Asanagi'' and ''Yūnagi'' on 8 December.
Northern Gilbert Islands
The Japanese occupation of the Northern Gilbert Islands can be divided into three periods: * from 10 December 1941 to 16 August 1942, 71 armed personnel of theImperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...
garrisoned the seaplane base
A seaplane base is a type of airport that is located in a body of water, usually a river, bay, harbor, or lake, where seaplanes and amphibious aircraft take-off and land.
History
Initially following the invention of the seaplane, traditional boa ...
on Butaritari
Butaritari is an atoll in the Pacific Ocean island nation of Kiribati. The atoll is roughly four-sided. The south and southeast portion of the atoll comprises a nearly continuous islet. The atoll reef is continuous but almost without islets al ...
(then called Makin) up to the time of the raid by the Marines on 17–18 August 1942;
* from 20 August 1942 to March 1943, with a gradual increase of the expansion towards the south, including Tarawa
Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''
''
Abemama
Abemama (Apamama) is an atoll, one of the Gilberts group in Kiribati, and is located southeast of Tarawa and just north of the Equator. Abemama has an area of and a population of 3,299 . The islets surround a deep lagoon. The eastern part o ...
, and also Nauru
Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in ...
outside of the Gilberts, to become fortified places with airfields;
* the last phase, before the end of occupation, from March to the end of battle of Tarawa
The Battle of Tarawa was fought on 20–23 November 1943 between the United States and Japan at the Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, and was part of Operation Galvanic, the U.S. invasion of the Gilberts. Nearly 6,400 Japanese, Koreans, ...
and battle of Makin
The Battle of Makin was an engagement of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought from 20 to 24 November 1943, on Makin Atoll in the Gilbert Islands.
Background
Japanese invasion and fortification
On 10 December 1941, three days after the ...
on 23 November 1943.
On the day of their attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...
, Japanese military forces embarked on board the minelayer ''Okinoshima'' which was serving as flagship for Admiral Kiyohide Shima
was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.
Biography
A native of Miyazaki prefecture, Shima was a graduate of the 39th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1911, ranking 69th out of 148 cadets. As a midshipman, h ...
in Operation ''Gi'' (the invasion of the Gilbert Islands) and had deployed from Jaluit with a Special Naval Landing Force
The Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF; ja, 海軍特別陸戦隊, Kaigun Tokubetsu Rikusentai) were naval infantry units of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and were a part of the IJN Land Forces. They saw extensive service in the Second Sino ...
(SNLF). From 9–10 December, ''Okinoshima'' supported the Japanese landings on Makin and on Tarawa
Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''
On 31 August 1942, Japanese troops also occupied 
The first offensive operation from the new American airfield at Funafuti was launched on 20 April 1943 when 22 
On 6 November 1943, the United States 
Rear Admiral
*Sep 1943 - 20 Nov 1943, Rear Admiral
''
Abaiang
Abaiang, also known as Apaiang, Apia, and in the past, Charlotte Island, in the Northern Gilbert Islands, is a coral atoll of Kiribati, located in the west-central Pacific Ocean. Abaiang was the island of the first missionary to arrive in the G ...
. The 51st Guards Force from Jaluit occupied on 10 December 1941 (local time 0045), Makin and on 11 December Little Makin, then later Abaiang and Marakei
Marakei is a small atoll in the North Gilbert Islands. It consists of a central lagoon with numerous deep basins, surrounded by two large islands separated by two narrow channels. The atoll covers approximately .
Geography
Marakei's total land ...
in the northern Gilbert Islands. Japanese immediately seized the New Zealand Coastwatchers
The Coastwatchers, also known as the Coast Watch Organisation, Combined Field Intelligence Service or Section C, Allied Intelligence Bureau, were Allied military intelligence operatives stationed on remote Pacific islands during World War II ...
of Makin. Within two days, a seaplane base
A seaplane base is a type of airport that is located in a body of water, usually a river, bay, harbor, or lake, where seaplanes and amphibious aircraft take-off and land.
History
Initially following the invention of the seaplane, traditional boa ...
was built on Makin lagoon by ''Nagata Maru''.
A few hours before the Makin occupation, on 10 December 1941, the same Japanese landing military (DesDiv 29/Section 1's ''Asanagi'' and ''Yūnagi'') also visited Tarawa, where they rounded up the Europeans and informed them that they could not leave the atoll without the permission of the naval commander, Kiyohide Shima. The Japanese destroyed all means of transportation and ransacked the Burns Philp trading station, then departed for Makin.
The Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...
forces on Makin were part of the Marshall Islands Garrison, and officially titled the 62nd Garrison Force. At the time of the Makin raid on 17–18 August 1942 the total force opposing the American landing consisted of 71 armed personnel of the Japanese seaplane base led by Warrant Officer (''Heisouchou'') Kyuzaburo Kanemitsu of the Special Naval Landing Force equipped with light weapons. In addition there were also four members of the seaplane tender base and three members of a meteorological unit. Two civilian personnel were attached to the Japanese forces as interpreters and civilian administrators.
On 31 August 1942, Japanese troops also occupied Abemama
Abemama (Apamama) is an atoll, one of the Gilberts group in Kiribati, and is located southeast of Tarawa and just north of the Equator. Abemama has an area of and a population of 3,299 . The islets surround a deep lagoon. The eastern part o ...
. On September, some remote central and southern islands were also briefly visited or occupied ( Tamana was the southernmost) especially in order to destroy the Coastwatchers network, headquartered on Beru. On 15 September 1942, Japanese forces occupied Tarawa and began fortifying the atoll, mainly Betio
Betio is the largest township of Kiribati's capital city, South Tarawa, and the country's main port. The settlement is located on a separate islet at the extreme southwest of the atoll.
Betio Post Office opened on 5 April 1957 and closed in 1964 ...
islet where they built Hawkins Field
Hawkins Field is a baseball stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. It is the home field of the Vanderbilt Commodores college baseball team.
, an airfield.
In response, on 2 October 1942, US forces occupied the Ellice Islands
Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-nor ...
and began constructing airfields on Funafuti
Funafuti is the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu. It has a population of 6,320 people (2017 census), and so it has more people than the rest of Tuvalu combined, with approximately 60% of the population. It consists of a narrow sweep of lan ...
, Nukufetau
Nukufetau is an atoll that is part of the nation of Tuvalu. The atoll was claimed by the US under the Guano Islands Act some time in the 19th century and was ceded in a treaty of friendship concluded in 1979 and coming into force in 1983. It has ...
and Nanumea
Nanumea is the northwesternmost atoll in the Polynesian nation of Tuvalu, a group of nine coral atolls and islands spread over about of the Pacific Ocean just south of the equator and west of the International Date Line. Nanumea is with a ...
as a base of operations against the Japanese occupation in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Inte ...
.
The first offensive operation from the new American airfield at Funafuti was launched on 20 April 1943 when 22 B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models ...
aircraft from 371 and 372 Bombardment Squadrons bombed Nauru. The next day the Japanese made a predawn raid on the strip at Funafuti that destroyed one B-24 and caused damage to five other planes. On 22 April, 12 B-24 aircraft bombed Tarawa.
On 6 November 1943, the United States Seventh Air Force
The Seventh Air Force (Air Forces Korea) (7 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, South Korea.
The command's mission is to plan and direct air component operations in ...
established its forward headquarters base on Funafuti, to prepare the battle of Tarawa
The Battle of Tarawa was fought on 20–23 November 1943 between the United States and Japan at the Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, and was part of Operation Galvanic, the U.S. invasion of the Gilberts. Nearly 6,400 Japanese, Koreans, ...
.
Rear Admiral Keiji Shibazaki
was a Rear Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy. He was the commander of the Japanese garrison on the island of Betio of the Tarawa atoll during World War II.
Biography
Shibazaki was born in Kasai, Hyogo prefecture. He was a graduate of the ...
was killed on 20 November 1943, as the last commander of the Japanese 3rd Special Base Force — in garrison on the island of Betio — and of the Gilbert Islands, Nauru and Ocean Island. Admiral Carl Henry Jones
Carl Henry Jones (17 June 1893 – 1 September 1958) was a United States Navy admiral.
Born on 17 June 1893 in Jones Mill, Alabama, he died on 1 September 1958 in Annapolis, Maryland.
Raised in Atmore, Alabama, Jones graduated from the United ...
(1893 - 1958) became thereafter the U.S. commander of the Gilbert Islands subarea (from 18 Dec 1943 to 1 Oct 1944), at the end of this battle.
Ocean Island
In July 1941, Australia and New Zealand evacuated dependents ofBritish Phosphate Commission
The British Phosphate Commissioners (BPC) was a board of Australian, British, and New Zealand representatives who managed extraction of phosphate from Christmas Island, Nauru, and Banaba (Ocean Island) from 1920 until 1981.
Nauru was a mandate t ...
employees from Ocean Island.
On 8 December 1941, a Japanese flying boat Kawanishi H6K dropped six bombs on the Government Headquarters on Ocean Island. In February 1942, the Free French
Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...
destroyer ''Le Triomphant'' evacuated the remaining Europeans and Chinese from Ocean Island. Japanese forces occupied the island from 26 August 1942. Cyril Cartwright, was acting Resident Commissioner of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands
The Gilbert and Ellice Islands (GEIC as a colony) in the Pacific Ocean were part of the British Empire from 1892 to 1976. They were a protectorate from 1892 to 12 January 1916, and then a colony until 1 January 1976. The history of the colony w ...
Colony on Ocean Island from December 1941 to August 1942. While he had the opportunity to leave Ocean Island when the personnel of the British Phosphate Commission were evacuated, he choose to stay to safeguard the people who remained on the island. He was subjected to ill-treatment and malnutrition and died on 23 April 1943. All but about 143-160 Banabans
The Micronesians or Micronesian peoples are various closely related ethnic groups native to Micronesia, a region of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. They are a part of the Austronesian ethnolinguistic group, which has an Urheimat in Taiwan.
Ethno ...
were deported to Nauru, Tarawa, Truk or Kosrae
Kosrae ( ), formerly known as Kusaie or Strong's Island, is an island in the Federated States of Micronesia. The State of Kosrae is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia, and includes the main island of Kosrae and a few near ...
, until the end of the Pacific War
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vas ...
in 1945. On 20 August 1945, five days after the surrender of Japan, the Japanese troops massacred the 150 Banabans remaining on Ocean Island. Only one person, Kabunare Koura, survived the massacre. He was the chief prosecution witness in the trial of 23 of Japanese soldiers and officers charged with committing the massacre. Twenty-one of them were found guilty, with 8 of them being executed. On 21 August, Australian troops retook Ocean Island from the Japanese. Before the end of the year, the 280 Banabans who survived the war on Nauru, Tarawa, Kosrae or Truk were resettled on Rabi Island
Rabi (pronounced ) is a volcanic island in northern Fiji. It is an outlier to Taveuni (5 kilometers west), in the Vanua Levu Group. It covers an area of 66.3 square kilometers, reaching a maximum altitude of 463 meters and has a shoreline of 46 ...
in Fiji.
Japanese Commanders
*9 Dec 1941 - 1942, Capt.Shigetoshi Miyazaki
was a captain in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. He was killed during the Battle of Guadalcanal.
From 9 December 1941, he commanded the Japanese occupation of the Gilbert Islands, on Makin.
Shigetoshi Miyazaki was the commander of the ...
(宮崎重敏, IJNAF) (1897-1942), commanded the Gilberts’ Operation in the initial phase
*1942 - 17 Aug 1942, Warrant Officer Kyuzaburō Kanemitsu (d. 1942), commander on Makin, killed on Raid on Makin Island;From 5 February 1942 – 29 November 1943, Kōsō Abe was commander of the 6th Base Force at Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese: ) is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking residents (about 1,000 mostly U.S. civilia ...
in the Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Inte ...
. As such, he was essentially the wartime military governor
A military government is generally any form of government that is administered by military forces, whether or not this government is legal under the laws of the jurisdiction at issue, and whether this government is formed by natives or by an occup ...
of the Marshall Islands, Gilbert Islands, Nauru, Ocean Island and Wake Island
Wake Island ( mh, Ānen Kio, translation=island of the kio flower; also known as Wake Atoll) is a coral atoll in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, east of Guam, west of Honolulu, southeast of T ...
in the central Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...
.
*Sep 1942 - 22 Feb 1943, Cdr. Keisuke Matsuo (松尾景輔) (b. 1890? - d. 1943), commander of the Yokosuka 6th SNLF (No. 6 Base Force, based in Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese: ) is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking residents (about 1,000 mostly U.S. civilia ...
), was in command locally of the force on Tarawa;
*22 Feb 1943 - Jul 1943, Rear Admiral (友成佐市郎) (b. 1887 - d. 1962), commander in Tarawa, for the Gilbert Islands, Nauru and Ocean Island;
*Sep 1943 - 20 Nov 1943, Rear Admiral Keiji Shibazaki
was a Rear Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy. He was the commander of the Japanese garrison on the island of Betio of the Tarawa atoll during World War II.
Biography
Shibazaki was born in Kasai, Hyogo prefecture. He was a graduate of the ...
(b. 1894 - d. 1943)
**Japanese occupation ends on the Gilbert Islands on 23 November 1943.
**Japanese occupation ends on Ocean Island on 21 August 1945.
Because of the distance between Kwajalein and Tarawa (580 nm), on 15 February 1943, the Gilbert Islands, Ocean Island and Nauru were removed from the 6th Base Force in Kwajalein and replaced under a new 3rd Special Base Force with headquarters in Betio, with Admiral Tomonari replacing Matsuo. Because of the loss of his command, Matsuo made seppuku
, sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour but was also practised by other Japanese people ...
on 2 May 1943.
See also
*Pacific Islands home front during World War II
The civilian population, culture and infrastructure of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia ( Pacific Islands) were completely changed between 1941 and 1945, due to the logistical requirements of the Allies in their war against Japan (''taemfa ...
.
*Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign
The Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign were a series of battles fought from August 1942 through February 1944, in the Pacific theatre of World War II between the United States and Japan. They were the first steps of the drive across the cent ...
* Japanese occupation of Nauru
* Raid on Makin Island
*Battle of Tarawa
The Battle of Tarawa was fought on 20–23 November 1943 between the United States and Japan at the Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, and was part of Operation Galvanic, the U.S. invasion of the Gilberts. Nearly 6,400 Japanese, Koreans, ...
*Battle of Makin
The Battle of Makin was an engagement of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought from 20 to 24 November 1943, on Makin Atoll in the Gilbert Islands.
Background
Japanese invasion and fortification
On 10 December 1941, three days after the ...
Bibliography
* * * * * * *References
Sources
* * {{States in the sphere of influence of Imperial Japan during World War II History of KiribatiGilbert Islands
The Gilbert Islands ( gil, Tungaru;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this n ...
Gilbert Islands
The Gilbert Islands ( gil, Tungaru;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this n ...
Wars involving Nauru
Military history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in World War II
Axis powers
Banaba