Draft:Imperial Japan Administered Mariana Islands

Introduction
The Mariana Islands are the islands that include what is now Northern Mariana Islands and Guam. Imperial Japan took control of what is now the Northern Mariana Islands located in Micronesia in 1914. Germany controlled these islands before them. The Japanese military took over Guam later in 1941, being controlled by the USA beforehand.

Government
Micronesian lands in possetion of Japan were controlled by the Imperial Japanese Navy. A civil South Seas administration was setup over Japanese administered Micronesia afterwards in 1921. The South Seas was headed by governors.

Northern Mariana Islands
The head of the Marianas Islands was a district governor. They reported to prime minister.

The Japanese did what the Germans did which was choose prominent males as representatives for islanders. The position was ''alcalde. Alcalde had district congriergos'' working for them. Japanese gave instructions to alcalde who provided these to the district leaders. They work chosen from districts in Garapan as well as the Tanapag village. After 1936 alcalde and congiergos were voted in rather than chosen.

Policemen were used to enforce laws as well as ordinances.

Japanese Navy
On Guam, the Navy was charged with running the island. Governors ran the island. The Guam Minseibu was setup on Saipan to restore public order, achieve economic self-sufficiency through soldiers, and gain important resources critical to national security. One of the main responsibilities of the Minseibu was police affairs.

Economy
Lots of Japanese migrated to Northern Mariana Islands due to the teeming economy. Koreans were moved here for labor.

Fishing
Immigrants from Okinawa worked as fishermen as well as farmers.

Agriculture
The Japanese leaders wanted to make a copra industry with a few populations on the island but went with Japanese from Japan.

Sugar production on Saipan started over a hundred years ago. A lot of land was cleared for sugarcane production. Intensive growth in the sugarcane industry took place.

History
Imperial Japan was allowed to hold on to the Mariana Islands because of the Treaty of Versailles.

The Mariana Islands were a critical connection in their barrier of defenses.

Toshiro Tezuka was the first governor of the South Seas Government.

Garapan in Saipan was made the regional capital. Populations on Northern Mariana Islands were moved to modern towns. They were moved into towns thousands of Japanese were moved into. Maj. General Tomitara Hori took over Guam in 1941. After Japan took over Guam in December 1941 they did a nationalization policy of this island and other lands they took over. When they took over this island they reunify the Mariana Islands.

United States took back Guam from Japan in 1944. They also took over the rest of the Marianas with help from other Allied soldiers in 1944.

Social Class
In this area there was different classes. Each group was not at the same level economically. You had different groups at the bottom.

Chamorros
Guam Chamorros were being moved into the Japanese way of living. Their traditions were challenged by Japanese traditions which were becoming the main culture. They were hired as policemen. Despite this they had issues. A pejorative tomin was used against them. Many lands they owned were seized by the Japanese military. The Chamorros were enslaved by the Japanese from 1944-1945.

Japanese
The Japanese population grew greatly from their take over of Saipan to 1937. They were dominant in the islands. Most of the people from Japan consisted of mainly government officials, sugar company officials as well as tradespeople. The Japanese had ownership in fishing but they were not the majority of owners.

Okinawans
Okinawans were second class in Japanese society. Many Okinawans went to Garapan. They were employed in work concerning plantation(s). They were contract laborers. They also were the majority of the owners in commercial fishing.

Refaluwasch
The Refaluwasch were largely stevedores. They were used by the Japanese as workers concerning mining. They dealt with phosphate ore. The Refaluwasch were treated badly under Imperial Japan. They were treated worse than Chamorros. They were viewed as not civilized and primitive. The name tomin was directed against them as well. Like the Chamorros they were made slaves from 1944-1945.