Tuesday marks the passage of 50 years since the return of the Ogasawara Islands to Japan from the United States.
Efforts should be made to protect the precious natural environment of the so-called Galapagos of the Orient, while also steadily improving the living environment of residents there.
Situated more than 1,000 kilometers south of mainland Japan, the village of Ogasawara, Tokyo, is composed of about 30 islands. They include Okinotorishima, located at the southernmost tip of Japan, and Minamitorishima, which lies in the easternmost part of the nation. Waters surrounding the group of islands account for about 30 percent of Japan's exclusive economic zone.
Somewhat more than three years ago, coral poaching by Chinese fishing boats emerged as a problem. To shore up the maritime patrols in these waters, the Japan Coast Guard is advancing a plan to deploy a patrol boat at Chichijima. Expectations are also growing about an abundance of marine resources in that area, such as rare earths.
The geopolitical importance of the Ogasawara Islands has become even greater.
During World War II, the islands served as a shield for the defense of the mainland and were subject to fierce air raids. About 7,000 residents on Chichijima, Hahajima, Iwoto and other islands were forcibly evacuated.
For more than 20 years following the end of the war, the islands were under U.S. military rule. Former residents were not allowed to return to these islands, except for the descendants of Westerners who had settled down on them during the latter part of the Edo period (1603-1867). How they must have longed for their homes.
After the return of the islands to Japan, a Self-Defense Forces base was built on Iwoto, the site of a hard-fought battle during the war. Even today, no one is allowed to return to the island due to volcanic activity and other factors. The skeletal remains of more than 10,000 soldiers and other people still lie on Iwoto.
Deal with alien species
The hardships of the islands, buffeted by the current of the times, must not be forgotten.
Currently, about 2,600 people are living on Chichijima and Hahajima, both of which have village offices. More than 80 percent of the residents moved there from other places, and there is an upward trend in their population. They are engaged in growing passion fruits, tomatoes and other farm products, or involved in fishing and tourism. Families with small children who move to the islands will invigorate these places.
At the same time, the islands are harsh living environments for elderly people. There is no civilian airport there, and it takes 24 hours to travel to the mainland, using a regular liner that comes nearly once every six days. Although four doctors are permanently stationed in the village, medical care with surgery is not available there. If anyone suddenly becomes ill, an SDF plane is used to transport the patient to the mainland.
Although the Tokyo metropolitan government is considering a plan to build a runway to be used for a propeller plane on Chichijima, there is a high hurdle to the project. This is because the island has so little flatland, there are concerns about the construction's possible impact on the natural environment.
Some have said an airport is necessary for the island from the perspective of swift evacuation and rescue at the time of an earthquake or other natural disaster. It is necessary to consider measures aimed at striking a balance between environmental preservation and the security and safety of island residents.
In 2011, the Ogasawara Islands were registered on the list of World Natural Heritage sites. The islands are inhabited by many animals and plants that have evolved in their own ways. Ecotourism, a form of tourism that gives consideration to the conservation of nature, is popular among sightseers.
Efforts should be made to make effective progress in dealing with introduced species that could endanger indigenous species on the islands, such as the green anole, a lizard native to the United States.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, June 27, 2018)
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