List of territories occupied by Imperial Japan

This is a list of regions occupied or annexed by the Empire of Japan until 1945, the year of the end of World War II in Asia, after the surrender of Japan. Control over all territories except the Japanese mainland (Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, and some 6,000 small surrounding islands) was renounced by Japan in the Unconditional Surrender after World War II and the Treaty of San Francisco. A number of territories occupied by the United States after 1945 were returned to Japan, but there are still a number of disputed territories between Japan and Russia (the Kuril Islands dispute), South Korea and North Korea (the Liancourt Rocks dispute), the People's Republic of China and Taiwan (the Senkaku Islands dispute).

Maximum extent of the Japanese empire
Members of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere; territory controlled at maximum height. Japan and its allies in dark red; occupied territories/client states in lighter red. Korea, Taiwan, and Karafuto (South Sakhalin) were integral parts of Japan.
Japanese colonial empire

1895–1945[1]
The Empire of Japan in 1942.
  •   Japan
  •   Colonies / Mandates
  •   Puppet states / Protectorates / Occupied territories / allied
StatusColonial empire
CapitalTokyo
Common languagesJapanese
Local:
Korean (Korea), Manchu (Manchukou), Taiwanese Hokkien (Taiwan), Formosan languages (Taiwan)
History 
 Established
1895
 Disestablished
1945[1]
CurrencyJapanese yen,
Japanese military yen,
Korean yen,
Taiwanese yen

Pre-World War II

Colony

Occupied locations

World War II

Territory Japanese name Date Population est.(1943) Notes
South SakhalinKarafuto Prefecture (樺太庁) of Imperial Japanprewar-1945406,000
Mainland ChinaChūgoku tairiku (中国大陸)1931–1945200,000,000 (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
JapanNaichi (内地)prewar-194572,000,000Present day Japan, Kuril and Ryukyu Islands
KoreaChosen (朝鮮)prewar-194525,500,000Both North and South
TaiwanTaiwan (臺灣)prewar-19456,586,000
Hong KongHong kong (香港)December 12, 1941 – August 15, 19451,400,000Hong Kong (UK)
:: East Asia (subtotal)Higashi azia (東アジア)306,792,000
VietnamAnnan (安南)July 15, 1940 – August 29, 194522,122,000As French Indochina (FR)
CambodiaKambojia (カンボジア)July 15, 1940 – August 29, 19453,100,000As French Indochina, Japanese occupation of Cambodia
LaosRaosu (ラオス)July 15, 1940 – August 29, 19451,400,000As French Indochina, Japanese occupation of Laos
ThailandTai (タイ)December 8, 1941 – August 15, 194516,216,000Independent State but Allied with Japan
MalaysiaMaraya (マラヤ), Kita Boruneo (北ボルネオ), Malai (マライ)March 27, 1942 – September 6, 1945 (Malaya), March 29, 1942 – September 9, 1945 (Sarawak, Brunei, Labuan, North Borneo)4,938,000 plus 39,000 (Brunei)As Malaya (UK), British Borneo (UK), Brunei (UK)
PhilippinesFiripin (フィリピン)May 8, 1942 – July 5, 194517,419,000Philippines (US)
Dutch East IndiesHigashi Indo (東印度)January 18, 1942 – October 21, 194572,146,000Dutch East Indies (NL)
SingaporeSyonan-to(昭南島) February 15, 1942 – September 9, 1945795,000Singapore (UK)
MyanmarBiruma (ビルマ)1942–194516,800,000Burma (UK)
East TimorHigashi Chimoru (東チモール)February 19, 1942 – September 2, 1945450,000Portuguese Timor (PT)
:: Southeast Asia (subtotal)Tonan azia (東南アジア)155,452,000
New GuineaNiuguinea (ニューギニア)December 27, 1941 – September 15, 19451,400,000As Papua and New Guinea (AU)
GuamŌmiya Island (大宮島)January 6, 1942 – October 24, 1945from Guam (US)
South Seas MandateNan'yō Guntō (南洋群島)1919–1945129,000from German Empire
NauruNauru (ナウル)August 26, 1942 – September 13, 19453,000from United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand
Wake Island, USŌtori Island (大鳥島)December 27, 1941 – September 4, 1945nilUS
KiribatiKiribasu (キリバス)December 1941 – January 22, 194428,000from Gilbert Islands (UK)
:: Pacific Islands (subtotal)1,433,000
:: Total Population463,677,000

Disclaimer: Not all areas were considered part of Imperial Japan but rather part of puppet states & sphere of influence, allies, included separately for demographic purposes. Sources: POPULSTAT Asia[3] Oceania[4]

Other occupied World War 2 islands:

Areas attacked but not conquered

Raided without immediate intent of occupation

See also

References

  1. Peattie 1988, p. 217.
  2. Leonard A. Humphreys (1995). 'The Way of the Heavenly Sword: The Japanese Army in the 1920s. Stanford University Press. p. 26.
  3. http://www.populstat.info/Asia/asia.html Populstat ASIA
  4. http://www.populstat.info/Oceania/oceania.html Populstat OCEANIA
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