Japanese period

Many Japanese settlers had already started making their way to the Mariana Islands before Japan actually aquired the islands after WW I. Sugar cane fields were planted on Saipan, Rota and Tinian. Sugar refineries were built at Garapan (Saipan), Tinian Town (Tinian) and

This building housed a generater

  Songsong  (Rota). The population grew with an influx of settlers, in 1937, from 4,145 to 46,708.

Tinian Town was the main milling center and port. During this time Tinian was known as "Sugar Island".

With the onset of WW I I,  the landscape began to change, from sugar cane fields to major and minor airfields.  2 airfields were built on Tinian and a 3rd was under way. Around the airfields were barracks and administrative buildings.

29,000 troops were stationed on Saipan. 10,000 on Tinian and a smaller amount on Rota.

An air raid shelter built by the Japanese

Another air raid shelter, theses sit side by side

Administration building 

Closer view of the Administration building 

* info gathered from the book 

Problems of the resettlement of Saipan, Tinian and Rota The Mariana Islands by Neal M. Beal