Large-scale Japanese settlement in Micronesia occurred in the first half of the 20th century when Imperial Japan colonised much of Micronesia. Between 1914 and 1945, the modern-day Micronesian territories of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands were part of the Japanese-governed, League of Nations-created

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 Wo ...

, known in Japan as ''Nan'yō''. During the Second World War, the Japanese settlers outnumbered the

Micronesians 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 ...

within the mandate territory and extensively intermarried with Micronesians, raising families locally. A few Japanese also resided in Kiribati and

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 Ki ...

, where they worked as contract labourers or established businesses. After 1945, most of the Japanese settlers were repatriated to Japan, but the offspring of Japanese settlers and Micronesians were allowed to remain. These offspring usually identify themselves as Micronesians rather than Japanese, and constitute a sizeable minority in each of the territories' populace.Foundation for Advanced Studies in International Development (Japan)
, Kimio Fujita, October 7, 2005 Archeological excavations have revealed that

lived on the island of Chichijima (one of the Japanese Bonin Islands) in the past.小笠原・火山(硫黄)列島の歴史
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Main articles

* Federated States of Micronesia:

Japanese settlement in the Federated States of Micronesia Japanese Micronesians (Japanese: 日系ミクロネシア人, Hepburn: ''Nikkei Mikuroneshia-jin''), also Nikkei Micronesians or Micronesians of Japanese descent, refers to citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) who are of Japanes ...

* Kiribati:

Japanese settlement in Kiribati Japanese presence in Kiribati dates back to the end of 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, when labourers were hired to work in Kiribati's phosphate mines. The migration of some workers and labourers from Okinawa was seen as early as 186 ...

* Marshall Islands:

Japanese settlement in the Marshall Islands Japanese settlement in the Marshall Islands was spurred on by Japanese trade in the Pacific region. The first Japanese explorers arrived in the Marshall Islands in the late 19th century, although permanent settlements were not established until th ...

* Palau:

Japanese settlement in Palau There is a small Japanese community in the Pacific Island country of Palau, which mainly consists of Japanese expatriates residing in Palau over a long-term basis. A few Japanese expatriates started to reside in Palau after it gained independence ...

References

Bibliography

* Crocombe, R. G., ''Asia in the Pacific Islands: Replacing the West'', 2007, * Kiste, Robert C.; Marshall, Mac, ''American Anthropology in Micronesia: An Assessment'', University of Hawaii Press, 1999, * McQuarrie, Peter, ''Conflict in Kiribati: A History of the Second World War'', Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, University of Canterbury, 2000, * Poyer, Lin; Falgout, Suzanne; Carucci, Laurence Marshall, ''The Typhoon of War: Micronesian Experiences of the Pacific War'', University of Hawaii Press, 2001, {{Japanese diaspora Micronesia Micronesia Japanese colonial empire Settlement schemes in the Empire of Japan Settlement schemes in Oceania

Main articles

See also

References

Bibliography