Nan'yō Shrine

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Nanyo Shrine (Nan’yō-jinja) was a Shinto shrine on Koror Island, Palau. It was the ichinomiya, the highest-ranked shrine, for the South Seas Mandate government run by Japan. The shrine opened in November 1940 and enshrined Amaterasu-Ōmikami (the sun goddess Amaterasu). It was designated Kanpei-taisha, a top rank of government-supported shrines, and symbolized Japan’s plan for a New East Asian Order.

In late 1944, as Allied forces approached, the kami and sacred symbols were evacuated to Japan by submarine. The shrine itself was not bombed, but Japan’s defeat ended its administration. It was dismantled to help rebuild Koror; only the stone steps to the upper platform and some stone lanterns remained.

In 1983, plans to reconstruct the shrine began, and a small replica was completed in 1993 with private funding from Japanese sponsors.