Japanese occupation of the Gilbert Islands


The Japanese occupation of the Gilbert Islands was the period in the history of Kiribati between 1941 and 1945 when Imperial Japanese forces occupied Gilbert Islands during World War II.
From 1941 to 1943, and even till 1945, Imperial Japanese Army forces occupied the Gilbert Islands and Ocean Island where were the headquarters of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony.

Northern Gilbert Islands

Only two days after their attack on Pearl Harbor, on 9 December 1941, Japanese forces occupy Makin and Little Makin, Abaiang and Marakei in the northern Gilbert Islands.
On 10 December 1941, Japanese landing military visited Tarawa, where they round up the Europeans and informed them that they cannot leave the atoll without the permission of the naval commander. The Japanese destroyed all means of transportation and ransack the Burns Philp trading station, then departed for Makin atoll.
On 31 August 1942, Japanese troops occupied Abemama. On 15 September 1942, Japanese forces occupied Tarawa and began fortifying the atoll, mainly Betio. In response, on 2 October 1942, US forces occupied the Ellice Islands and began constructing airfields on Funafuti, Nukufetau and Nanumea as a base of operations against the Japanese occupation in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands.
On 27 March 1943, a Japanese aircraft attacked the new American airfield at Funafuti for the first time.
On 6 November 1943, the United States Seventh Air Force established its forward headquarters base on Funafuti, to prepare the battle of Tarawa.
Rear Admiral Keiji Shibazaki was killed on 20 November 1943, as the last commander of the Japanese garrison on the island of Betio — and of the Gilbert Islands. Admiral Carl Henry Jones became thereafter the U.S. commander of Gilbert Islands Subarea at the end of this battle.

Ocean Island (オーシャン島)

On July 1941, Australia and New Zealand evacuated dependents of British Phosphate Commission employees from Ocean Island.
On 8 December 1941, a Japanese flying boat Kawanishi H6K drops six bombs on the Government Headquarters on Ocean Island. On February 1942, the Free French destroyer Le Triomphant evacuated the remaining Europeans and Chinese from Ocean Island. Japanese forces occupied the island from 26 August 1942. All but about 143-160 Banabans are deported to Nauru, Tarawa or Kosrae, until the end of World War II in 1945. On 20 August 1945, the Japanese troops murdered the 150 Banabans remaining on Ocean Island. One man only, Kabunare Koura, survived the massacre. On 21 August, the Australian troops retake Ocean Island from the Japanese. Before the end of the year, the 280 Banabans who survived the war on Nauru, Tarawa, Kosrae and Truk are resettled on Rabi Island in Fiji.

Japanese Commanders