Japanese presence in Kiribati dates back to the end of 19th and 20th century when labourers were hired to work in Kiribati's phosphate mines, but some workers and labourers came from Okinawa as soon as 1860. As compared to the other Micronesian countries which came under Japanese rule in the first half of the 20th century, the majority of the Japanese consisted of transient workers and only a few settled in Kiribati. Since Kiribati became independent in 1978, a few Japanese have also taken permanent residence in Kiribati, and assumed important positions within Gilbertese society.