List of territories occupied by Imperial Japan
This is a list of regions occupied or annexed by the Empire of Japan until 1945. Control over all territories except the Japanese mainland (Hokkaidō, Honshū, Kyūshū, Shikoku, and some 6000 small surrounding islands) was renounced by Japan in the Surrender after World War II and the Treaty of San Francisco. A number of territories occupied by the United States after 1945 have been returned to Japan, see Japan-United States relations for details. In 2005, there are still a number of disputed territories with Russia, South Korea, the People's Republic of China and Taiwan. See foreign relations of Japan for details.
Overview
This is a list of regions occupied or annexed by the Empire of Japan until 1945. Control over all territories except the Japanese mainland (Hokkaidō, Honshū, Kyūshū, Shikoku, and some 6000 small surrounding islands) was renounced by Japan in the Surrender after World War II and the Treaty of San Francisco. A number of territories occupied by the United States after 1945 have been returned to Japan, see Japan-United States relations for details. In 2005, there are still a number of disputed territories with Russia, South Korea, the People's Republic of China and Taiwan. See foreign relations of Japan for details.
Pre–World War II
Annexed
- Ryukyu Islands - 1609-1945 & since 1972 [1]
- Bonin Islands - 1862-1945 & since 1968
- Kuril Islands - 1875-1945
- Volcano Islands - 1891-1945 & since 1968
- Taiwan - 1895-1945
- Minami-Tori-shima - 1898-1945 & since 1968
- South Karafuto (Sakhalin) - 1905-1945
- Kwantung Leased Territory - 1905-1945
- Korea - 1910-1945
- South Pacific Mandate - 1914-1945
- Shandong - formerly of German Empire - 1914-1922
- Okinotorishima - 1931-1945 & since 1968
Occupied
- Manchuria - 1931-1945
- all ports and major towns in the Primorsky Krai and Siberia regions of Russia east of the city of Chita, from 1918 until gradually withdrawing in 1922.[2]
World War II
Occupied or controlled region | Japanese name | Date | Population est.(1943) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
South Sakhalin | Karafuto Prefecture(樺太庁) of Imperial Japan | prewar-1945 | 406,000 | |
mainland China | various | 1938 - 1945 | 200,000,000 (est) | Manchukuo 50 million (1940), Jehol, Kwantung Leased Territory, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Shandong, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, plus parts of : Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Fujian, Guizhou, Inner Mongolia |
Japan | Imperial Japan (大日本帝國) | prewar-1945 | 72,000,000 | Present day Japan |
Korea | Chosen (朝鮮) of Imperial Japan | prewar-1945 | 25,500,000 | Both North and South |
Taiwan | Taiwan (臺灣) of Imperial Japan | prewar-1945 | 6,586,000 | |
Hong Kong | Hon Kon (香港) | December 12, 1940 - August 15, 1945 | 1,400,000 | Hong Kong (UK) |
:: East Asia (subtotal) | - | - | 306,792,000 | |
Vietnam | Vietnam (ベトナム) | July 15, 1940 - August 29, 1945 | 22,122,000 | As French Indochina |
Cambodia | Kampuchea (カンプジア) | July 15, 1940 - August 29, 1945 | 3,100,000 | As French Indochina, Japanese occupation of Cambodia |
Laos | Laos (ラオス) | July 15, 1940 - August 29, 1945 | 1,400,000 | As French Indochina, Japanese occupation of Laos |
Thailand | Siam (シアム) | December 8, 1941 - August 15, 1945 | 16,216,000 | forced 'allied' state |
Malaysia | Malaya (マラヤ) Borneo (ボルネオ) | March 27, 1942 - September 6, 1945 (Malaya), March 29, 1942 - September 9, 1945 (Sarawak, Brunei, Sabah) | 4,938,000 plus 39,000 (Brunei) | As Kingdom of Sarawak (UK), Borneo (UK), Brunei (UK) |
Philippines | Philippines (フィリピン) | May 8, 1942 - July 5, 1945 | 17,419,000 | Philippines (USA) |
Indonesia | East Indo (東インド) | January 18, 1942 - October 21, 1945 | 72,146,000 | As Dutch East Indies |
Singapore | Singapore (新加坡) | March 29, 1942 - September 9, 1945 | 822,000 | Singapore (UK) |
Myanmar | Burma (ビルマ) | 1942–1945 | 16,800,000 | Burma (UK) |
East Timor | East Indo (東インド) | February 19, 1942 - September 2, 1945 | 450,000 | Portuguese Timor |
:: Southeast Asia (subtotal) | - | - | 155,452,000 | |
New Guinea | N/A | December 27, 1941 - September 15, 1945 | 1,400,000 | As British New Guinea |
Guam | N/A | January 6, 1942 - October 24, 1945 | from Guam (USA) | |
Former Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands | N/A | Prewar-1945 | 129,000 | South Pacific Mandate (German Empire) |
Nauru | N/A | August 26, 1942 - September 13, 1945 | 3,000 | from USA |
Wake Island, US | N/A | December 27, 1941 - September 4, 1945 | nil | USA |
Attu and Kiska Islands (US) | N/A | June 6, 1942 - September 27, 1943 | nil | USA |
Kiribati | N/A | December 1941 - January 22, 1944 | 28,000 | from Gilbert Islands (UK) |
:: Pacific Islands (subtotal) | - | - | 1,433,000 | |
:: Total Population | - | - | 463,677,000 |
Disclaimer: Not all areas were considered part of Imperial Japan but rather part of puppet states, included separately for demographic purposes. Sources: POPULSTAT Asia[3]Oceania[4]
Other occupied World War 2 islands:
- Andaman Islands (India) - March 29, 1942 - September 9, 1945
- Christmas Island (Australia) - March 1942 - October 1945
Areas attacked but not conquered
- Kohima and Manipur (India)
- Dornod (Khalkhin Gol, Mongolia)
- Midway Atoll (United States)
Raided without immediate intent of occupation
- Air raids
- Pearl Harbor (Hawaii)
- Colombo and Trincomalee (Sri Lanka)
- Air raids on Australia, including:
- Lookout Air Raids (Oregon, United States)
- Naval bombardment by submarine
- British Columbia (Canada)
- Santa Barbara (California, United States)
- Fort Stevens (Oregon, United States)
- Newcastle (New South Wales, Australia)
- Gregory, Western Australia
- Midget sub attack
- Sydney (New South Wales, Australia)
- Diego Suarez (Madagascar)
See also
References
- ↑ Gregory Smits (1999). Visions of Ryukyu: Early-Modern Thought and Politics. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 143–149·
- ↑ Leonard A. Humphreys (1995). 'The Way of the Heavenly Sword: The Japanese Army in the 1920s. Stanford University Press. p. 26.
- ↑ http://www.populstat.info/Asia/asia.html Populstat ASIA
- ↑ http://www.populstat.info/Oceania/oceania.html Populstat OCEANIA
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