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Japanese-occupied Gilbert Islands ギルバート諸島 Girubāto-shotō | |||||||||
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1941–1943 | |||||||||
Status | Military occupation by the Empire of Japan | ||||||||
Common languages | Japanese Gilbertese | ||||||||
Historical era | World War II | ||||||||
• Occupation of Makin | 9 December 1941 | ||||||||
• American troops land on Tarawa | 20 November 1943 | ||||||||
• Occupation of Ocean Island ends | 21 August 1945 | ||||||||
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Today part of | Kiribati |
The Japanese occupation of the Gilbert Islands was the period in the history of Kiribati between 1941 and 1945 when Imperial Japanese forces occupied the Gilbert Islands during World War II, in the Pacific War theatre.
From 1941 to 1943, Imperial Japanese Navy forces occupied the islands, and from 1942 until 1945 Ocean Island which was home to the headquarters of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony (GEIC).[1]