Calls for Ogasawara Island Airport Grow on 50th Anniversary

June 26, 2018

Tokyo- As Tuesday marked the 50th anniversary of the return of the Ogasawara Islands to Japan from U.S. occupation, local residents have renewed calls for an air route to be opened to the islands.

The islands, located about 1,000 kilometers south of Tokyo, officially became part of Japanese territory in 1876, but came under U.S. rule after World War II. They were returned to Japan on June 26, 1968.

The islands, governed by Tokyo, boast a rich natural environment, providing a habitat for indigenous species such as the Mandarina mandarina snails and the Bonin flying fox bats, and were listed as a World Natural Heritage site in 2011.

The World Natural Heritage designation helped boost the islands' tourism industry, with the number of visitors to the islands exceeding 39,000 in 2012, a big jump from around 20,000 per year until 2010. The annual number currently stands at around 30,000.

The population of the village of Ogasawara grew to more than 2,500 in 2015 from around 400 just after the islands' return to Japan.

Meanwhile, access to the islands is limited to a 24-hour journey on a ferry that operates from the mainland once a week. The village has therefore requested the construction of an airport to open an air route.

"It takes too much time just to travel to the mainland for a day or two for medical treatment, for example," Mayor Kazuo Morishita said. He said an air route would be an important means of transportation for residents.

In response to these requests, the Tokyo metropolitan government has included research expenses in its fiscal 2018 budget and is currently considering issues such as the possible location of a new airport and the length of the runway.

As past plans to construct an airport have failed to materialize due to concerns over nature conservation, the metropolitan government's actions are being watched closely to see whether the project will go ahead this time.

Earlier this month, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike told the metropolitan assembly that the metropolitan government will "make strenuous efforts to come up with a feasible plan to open an air route that can exist in harmony with the natural environment."

With a ceremony, hosted by the village, to commemorate the handover to take place on Saturday, pundits say chances are high that Koike will soon announce a concrete plan.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga welcomed the islands' 50th anniversary.

The government plans to "work steadily toward the promotion and development of the Ogasawara Islands, such as improving the convenience of residents' everyday lives, promoting industrial development, expanding job creation and stepping up conservation and rehabilitation of the natural environment," Suga said. Jiji Press