As the largest island in Micronesia and the only US-held island in the region before World War II, Guam was captured by the Japanese on December 8, 1941, hours after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and was occupied for two and a half years.During the occupation, the people of Guam suffered terrible atrocities6 - including torture, beheadings, and rape, and were forced to adopt the Japanese culture. The Japanese occupation also imposed a new name, Ō-miya Jima or Great Shrine Island, on the island. Guam was subject to fierce fighting when US troops recaptured the island on July 21, 1944, a date commemorated every year as Liberation Day.7 - Today, Guam's economy is supported by its principal industry, tourism, which is primarily composed of visitors from Japan. Guam's second-largest source of income is the United States military.8 -