Japanese occupation of German colonial possessions

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Japanese occupation of German colonial possessions
Part of the Asian and Pacific theatre of World War I
Japanese Warships traveling the ocean.
Date 29 September – 21 October 1914 Location German New Guinea, Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Palau Islands, Caroline Islands Result Japanese victory Territorial changes Japanese occupation of Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Palau Islands, Caroline Islands
Belligerents
Japan	German Empire  German New Guinea
Commanders and leaders
Matsumura Tatsuo Yamaya Tanin	Albert Hahl
Strength
2 Naval detachments "Nankenshitai"	German colonial officers with only small police forces of local Pacific islanders defending.

Japan entered World War I in 1914 with the strategic objective of expanding its influence in the Pacific region by seizing German-controlled colonies.^[1] As a member of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, Japan aligned itself with France, Great Britain, Russia, and the United States. In October 1914, the Japanese sent vessels to occupy German-held territories in the Pacific. This included the Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Palau, and Caroline Islands.^[2] These islands were of significant strategic value and would play important roles during World War II as military bases and logistical hubs.