Japanese in Micronesia

The Japanese in Micronesia are now a minority.

The settlement of Micronesia by the Japanese began in the mid-19th century and ended in 1945 after Japan's defeat in World War II , which resulted in all Japanese being forced to leave Micronesia. However, those who came from mixed marriages with local residents were allowed to stay . There is still a Japanese minority in Micronesia today.

The Japanese flag

history

Several Japanese trading houses opened in Micronesia as early as the middle of the 19th century. In the German-Spanish Treaty of 1899 , the German Empire acquired the Caroline and Palau Islands as well as the Northern Marianas from Spain for 25 million pesetas (almost 17 million marks ) . In 1914 the Japanese Empire declared war on the German Empire on the side of the Entente . After the surrender of German New Guinea on September 17, 1914 to the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force, the Japanese occupied the German colonies in Micronesia between September 29 and October 21, 1914, with the exception of Nauru . As a result, Japanese traders, military and other people settled there. Most of these settlers came from the Okinawa Islands . In 1922 the military government was replaced by a civilian one. The Japanese settlers quickly mingled with the local population. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the USA entered World War II the following day. The Pacific War began in which the US and its allies took Micronesia. Emperor Hirohito announced the unconditional surrender of Japan on August 15, 1945 . After 1945 most of the Japanese settlers were expelled to Japan, only the descendants from mixed marriages of settlers and Micronesians were allowed to stay behind.

Former President of the Marshall Islands, Kessai Note, has Japanese ancestry

Todays situation

The descendants of mixed marriages of Japanese and Micronesians usually identified themselves as Micronesians rather than Japanese. However, they represent a significant minority in Micronesia.

Country	number	Proportion of ethnic Japanese in the total population
Federated States of Micronesia	114	20%
Palau	300	25%
Marshall Islands	70	10%

language

During the Japanese colonial era, Japanese was the lingua franca for communication between Japanese and local people. Japanese and local children were mostly able to speak Japanese better than the native languages. After the Second World War, English and the native languages ​​replaced Japanese. Today, Japanese is in fact no longer used as a language of communication. However, Japanese still has an important place in Micronesia. After English, Japanese is a popular language in schools . In the Palauan state of Angaur , Japanese is an official language in addition to Palaui and English . This is the only official status of Japanese outside of Japan.

See also

• Japanese language

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Hermann Joseph Hiery : The First World War and the end of German influence in the South Seas (page II) ( Memento from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
2. ↑ Foundation for Advanced Studies in International Development (Japan) ( Memento of the original from July 22, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Accessed April 28, 2012.  
3. ↑ These are only those who stated that they belonged to the Japanese people. In reality, the number of people of Japanese origin is higher
4. ↑ 第 5 回 太平洋 ・ 島 サ ミ ッ ト 開 催!  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .  
5. ↑ Letter to Steven K. Baker, Micronesian Registration Advisors Inc. (PDF; 23 kB) Letter from the Embassy of the Republic of Micronesia. Accessed April 28
6. ↑ These are only those who stated that they belonged to the Japanese people. In reality, the number of people of Japanese origin is higher
7. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from July 22, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Study from Japan, Accessed April 28, 2012.  
8. ↑ These are only those who stated that they belonged to the Japanese people. In reality, the number of people of Japanese origin is higher
9. ↑ 第 5 回 太平洋 ・ 島 サ ミ ッ ト 開 催!  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Accessed April 28, 2012.  
10. ↑ [1] (PDF; 343 kB) Census of the Marshall Islands. Accessed April 28
11. ↑ Nelson et al. (2003), p. 324.
12. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated February 16, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Statistical Office of Palau . Accessed April 28, 2012. 
13. ^ Constitution of Angaur State