Mageshima Island is positioned on the southern side of Kyushu, Japan. It lies 12 kilometers west of Tanegashima and is part of the northern Osumi Islands within the Ryukyu archipelago. Currently, it's far under the jurisdiction of Nishinoomote City in Kagoshima Prefecture. There are no rivers on the island, and the geological conditions are unsuitable for agriculture.
Magoshima is the second largest uninhabited island in Japan, with a place of approximately 8 rectangular kilometers. Its strategic place is highlighted by its proximity to critical sites including Futenma Airport, 500 kilometers away and Iwakuni Base 400 kilometers away. It is likewise located adjacent to the Osumi Strait, a crucial maritime path connecting the Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea.
Map of Mageshima Island
| Name | Mageshima Island (Japanese: 馬毛島) |
| Country | Japan |
| Prefecture | Kagoshima |
| Coordinates | 30°44′29.9″N 130°51′16.9″E |
| Area | 8.2 km2 (3.2 sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC +9 |
| Population | 2 |
| Airport | The military base of the Japan Self-Defense Forces |
History of Mageshima Island
In the year 1201, Hira Nobumoto, the founder of the Shukunoshima circle of relatives, became the lord of Shukunoshima, and Mageshima Island formally became a territory of the Shukunoshima's own family.
After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Mageshima Island was established under the ownership of the authorities.
In 1871, the Japanese authorities granted a hire exemption to Takeda Ryuzo and others for Mageshima Island, and they started out elevating quick-horned farm animals. By 1880, it had ended up a government sheep farm.
In 1945, with the release of farmland, Mr. Kawase transferred about 4.8 million rectangular meters of the island's overall location of 7.47 million rectangular meters to the Japanese government, at the same time as the rest remained his property, even though the whole island changed into uninhabited.
In 1958, the planting of sweet potatoes became prohibited because of a virulent disease of pests, leading to a pointy decline in the number of pigs being raised on feed made from candy potatoes.
By 1965, with a continuously reducing populace, the farmland had become increasingly lonely and, in the end, remodeled into a desolate tract. The sugar factory became additionally closed.
In 1977, human stays were discovered in the southern part of Mageshima Island, believed to date back to the Yayoi length. This website online, referred to as the "Sasagi Ruins," additionally yielded stone axes and pottery. Starting from April 21st, Mageshima Island became an uninhabited island.
In 1995, the control rights of Mageshima Island had been transferred from the Sumitomo Bank-affiliated Pacific Club to Tategami Industries.
In 1997, Mageshima Island turned into specific as a county-degree natural world conservation region.
In 1998, Mageshima Island's elementary and junior faculties were additionally closed.
As of 2023, the registered populace of Mageshima Island is two individuals.
Mageshima Island: An Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier
Japan plans to assemble a Self-Defense Forces base on Mageshima Island and accommodate schooling for U.S. Navy aircraft. Construction is already underway as of 2024.
According to the plan, a runway will be constructed on Mageshima Island as a Self-Defense Forces base, serving as a facility for the training of U.S. Service-based totally planes in simulated takeoff and touchdown operations on land. Japan is diligently transforming Mageshima Island into an "unsinkable aircraft provider" to reap a "joint combat" functionality with the USA. In times of warfare, it goals to collaborate with other bases, as well as U.S.-Japanese fighter jets, submarines, and aircraft vendors, inside the East China Sea location to discourage China's Liberation Army Navy from attaining the Pacific.
Under Japan's blueprint, as soon as the Self-Defense Forces base on Mageshima Island is completed, no longer handiest will the P-3C patrol plane from the Kanoya Air Base and F-15J and F-35B fighter jets from the Nyutabaru Base behavior takeoff, landing, and air protection schooling, but also the carrier-primarily based aircraft of the U.S. Forces stationed in Japan will relocate there for education exercises.
Due to limited space at the Atsugi and Iwakuni bases presently used by the U.S. Navy aviation personnel, dissatisfaction has arisen among a number of the U.S. Army, leading to protests from nearby Japanese citizens. Therefore, moving the U.S. Schooling base to an uninhabited island at the earliest possibility might help alleviate opposition. However, that is simply the floor justification for Japan's proactive approach.
