A few Japanese resided with Kanzaki over a temporary basis with Kanzaki during the Interwar years. When the Japanese invaded Kiribati in December 1941, Kanzaki and his assistant, Suzuki were the only Japanese nationals residing in Kiribati. Kanzaki was hired as an interpreter and liaison officer for the Japanese army, and mobilised Gilbertese men to work as labourers to support Japanese war efforts. The Japanese military administration also brought in Okinawan labourers who were conscripted to build naval facilities around the islands. Some 5,000 Japanese were stationed on Tarawa and Makin, and consisted mainly of army and navy personnel, as well as a few settlers. There was minimal promiscuous contact between the Japanese soldiers and Gilbertese women, as Kanzaki and Gilbertese men helped to facilitate strict regulations to minimise contact between Gilbertese women and Japanese soldiers. After the Japanese Surrender, Japanese nationals living in the islands were quickly repatriated.