Nan’yō-chō (South Seas Government) ordinance promulgated 31 March; civilian government begins 1 April.

What happened

The ordinance abolished the navy’s Provisional South Seas Defense Force and set up a civilian South Seas Government, the Nan’yō-chō, at Koror in Palau. Six branch offices were created, three of them in today’s FSM: Yap, Truk and Ponape.

Why it matters

Civilian Japanese rule, not the 1920 mandate, began here; sources sometimes confuse the two dates.