South Pacific Mandate
The lighthouse was constructed in 1934 to assist ships navigating into Tanapag Harbor on the western coast of Saipan. At the time, Saipan was governed by the Empire of Japan as part of its South Pacific Mandate. The lighthouse was in operation until 1944 when it sustained damage from an American naval bombardment in the Battle of Saipan. During the war, the lighthouse was never rebuilt and, after the war, remained abandoned. The copper dome, however, was removed and put into storage. The Japanese Lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 19, 1974.