Participating in World War I, Japan occupied German Micronesia north of the equator, re-naming it the “South Sea Islands.” After establishing the South Sea Agency in Palau in 1922, the Japanese government ruled the area as a League of Nations mandate. Japan’s first large-scale development projects in the area were implemented on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. Nanyo Kohatsu Co., Ltd., a semi-governmental enterprise, transformed these islands into sugar producers second only to Taiwan. From the mid-1930s onwards, Nanyo Takushoku Co., Ltd., a national policy company, promoted local development with Palau as a base for a “southward advance.”
- area Colonies and Occupied Territories by the Empire of Japan
- theme Colonies and Territories Occupied by the Empire of Japan
- explanation TOP ■The South Sea Islands The Island Flung into Imperial Rule
Colonial Development
Colonial Development
Participating in World War one, Japan occupied German Micronesia north of the equator, re-naming it the “South Sea Islands.” After establishing the South Sea Agency in Palau in nineteen twenty-two, the Japanese government ruled the area as a League of Nations mandate. Japan’s first large-scale development projects in the area were implemented on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. Nanyo Kohatsu Company Limited, a semi-governmental enterprise, transformed these islands into sugar producers second only to Taiwan. From the mid-nineteen thirtys onwards, Nanyo Takushoku Company Limited, a national policy company, promoted local development with Palau as a base for a “southward advance.”