Minamitorishima is Japan's easternmost island, placed about 1,300 kilometers southeast of Chichi-jima and 1,100 kilometers east of Iwo Jima, with an area of 1.51 rectangular kilometers. It is almost equilateral triangular, with a circumference of approximately 7.6 kilometers and a maximum elevation of 9 meters. Shallow coral reefs surround the island, but these quickly descend into cliffs around 1,000 meters deep. According to the weather category, it has a tropical savanna climate.
Currently, Minamitorishima hosts facilities of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Japan Meteorological Agency. Apart from employees renovating the centers, the overall public is not authorized to visit.
Map of Minamitorishima
| Name | Minamitorishima Island (Japanese: 南鳥島) |
| Country | Japan |
| Prefecture | Tokyo |
| Coordinates | 24°17′12″N 153°58′50″E |
| Area | 1.51 km2 (0.58 sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC +9 |
| Population | 0 |
| Airport | Minami Torishima Airport (MUS) |
History of Minamitorishima
Minamitorishima Island is said to have been first discovered with the aid of the Spaniard De La Torre in 1543 (Tenbun 12).
Records suggest that during 1864, Captain Gillett of the Hawaiian missionary deliver Morning Star visited Minamitorishima, noting its "white sandy seashores and dense flora." This turned into reportedly the primary documented account. Subsequently, in 1868, Captain Kilton of the David Godley visited the island, describing it as a "low sandy island blanketed with timber and shrubs."
In 1874, Captain Belknap of the American survey ship Tuscarora first charted the island at longitude 154 degrees east and latitude 24 ranges 14 minutes north. In 1880, Captain Fourney of the French warship Eclaireur surveyed and suggested the vicinity as longitude 153 stages 57 mins east and range 24 degrees 30 minutes north, marking the primary clinical documentation of the island.
According to Earth Science magazine, the first Japanese go to to Minamitorishima became in November 1883, while Tsunetaro Arasaki from Kochi Prefecture landed there aboard the British deliver Ettar, owned through Konshiro Company.
In June 1889, Captain A. Rosehill of an American cruise vessel discovered the island and landed there. Mistakenly believing himself to be the primary discoverer of the uninhabited island, he diagnosed its price for palm oil and guano and raised the American flag on a palm tree. Upon returning to Honolulu, he requested the U.S. State Department to research. However, the matter is no longer formally processed, and it has been finalized in U.S. Records for 13 years.
In 1896, Noburo Mizutani of the Tokyo Fishery Company constructed a cruising ship and set out to explore resources inside the South Seas. After encountering a typhoon, he became washed ashore on Minamitorishima on December 3 of the identical 12 months. After touchdown and surveying the island, he showed its industrial capability and relocated 23 people from the Ogasawara Islands on December 28, leasing the island to the Japanese authorities. According to Mizutani's application, the Japanese government named the island "Minamitorishima" on July 19, 1898, and it was a part of Ogasawara Village, Tokyo, on July 24 for the same 12 months. In December 1898, the Japanese government determined to lease the island to Mizutani Noburo for ten years. The number one sport on the island covered the extraction of guano and palm oil.
On July 11, 1902 (Meiji 35), Captain A. Rosehill once more attempted to say the island for America, departing from Honolulu to return to Marcus Island. In reaction, the Japanese government dispatched the warship Kasagi, fearing a battle between Japanese forces and Rosehill at Minamitorishima. Naval Lieutenant Shutarō Akiyama and his group landed on the island, and knowledgeable Rosehill, who arrived three days later, said that the island had become beneath Japanese manipulation. The count became raised as global trouble and was mentioned between Japan and America; however, ultimately, Minamitorishima changed into Japanese territory.
In May 1902, Mizutani Village was set up within the vital southern part of Minamitorishima. By August 28 of the same 12 months, the populace turned into showed to be 29 guys, 25 women, and four children.
In 1903, the island's operations were transferred to the Minamitori Company, which engaged in gathering guano, fishing, canning, and transporting these products to Yokohama.
In 1922, the island's operations were taken over by the Japan Fertilizer Corporation. With the installation of tram tracks in the critical a part of the island, large-scale guano collection ensued, with an annual output of one,000 to three,000 heaps, making it a thriving island with a population of 30 to 50 humans.
In 1933, a Type 15 flying boat from the Japanese Navy's Tateyama Naval Air Squadron conducted a survey of Minamitorishima, wherein about five households lived, by and large engaged in fishing.
Living on the faraway island turned into complex due to the issue of obtaining substances, and there were troubles with beriberi and infectious illnesses. The low-lying island became additionally prone to sturdy winds and storm surges. In August 1902, there have been approximately 50 islanders, however a dysentery outbreak starting in November of the identical 12 months prompted 19 deaths. As assets dwindled, the enterprise declined, and with the aid of 1935, the island became uninhabited.
In 1935, the Japanese Navy stationed personnel on the island, dismantling the unique settlers' homes and factories and constructing new navy centers. In October of the identical year, the Naval Water Survey Department commenced meteorological observations. In August 1945, with the quiet of World War II, the island came below American control and became renamed Marcus Island. In 1947, a storm triggered a hurricane surge, devastating much of the island, and the stationed American forces evacuated, leaving Marcus Island uninhabited over again.
From 1951 to 1963, the Japan Meteorological Agency, beneath the auspices of the U.S. Government, performed meteorological observations on the island. In 1963, the U.S. Finished the development of a Loran-C station with a 400-meter-high antenna. Upon final touch, the station became surpassed over to the U.S. Weather Bureau, ending Japanese remark activities.
In 1967, the Sato-Johnson meeting resulted in the settlement for the go-back of the Ogasawara Islands.
On April 5, 1968, the Ogasawara Reversion Agreement was signed.
On June 26, 1968, the Ogasawara Islands were lowered back to Japan. With this reversion, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Minamitorishima Air Squadron and the Japan Meteorological Agency Minamitorishima Observatory were established and began operations.
In March 1993, the atmospheric background pollution monitoring station was established, and observations were started. Additionally, the Japan Coast Guard took over the Loran-C station from the U.S. And performed operations there.
Long-range tsunami statement commenced in April 1996.
In December 2009 (Heisei 21), with the abolition of the Loran-C station, the local obligations of the Japan Coast Guard employees ended.
The Island of Rare Metals
In 2016, Professor Taihiro Kato and his team from the University of Tokyo observed giant quantities of manganese, cobalt, and nickel-wealthy nodules, referred to as manganese nodules, on the sea floor near Minamitorishima. From April to June 2024, in collaboration with a Japanese consortium, they applied rock mining gadgets. They remotely operated underwater cars to conduct over one hundred surveys at depths from 5,200 to 5,700 meters.
The effects discovered that within a place of approximately 10,000 rectangular kilometers, there are approximately 230 million heaps of manganese nodules. The researchers carried out a detailed evaluation of the accrued nodules, estimating cobalt assets at around 610,000 heaps and nickel resources at about 740,000 lots.
Manganese nodules are composed of iron and manganese oxides. They are kind of the scale of a human fist, with manganese content material of approximately 20%, and cobalt and nickel content underneath 1%. It is stated that those metals, having accumulated over thousands and thousands to tens of millions of years, adhered to the fish bones that settled on the ocean ground long ago.
The Japanese consortium plans to begin practical trials in 2025, aiming to gather thousands of manganese nodules each day. The amassed nodules could be supplied to Japanese domestic enterprises that are answerable for metal smelting. After 2026, the consortium intends to convene corporations to ally with the purpose of commercializing this helpful resource.
Climate of Minamitorishima
Minamitorishima reports maritime weather, situated in a transitional area among tropical and subtropical climates, with an annual expected temperature of about 25.6°C. The island functions as a minimum temperature variant at some point of the year, with January's lowest temperatures about 19°C higher than the ones in Tokyo.
The average humidity stays pretty consistent, continually higher than in Tokyo. Similar to Tokyo, the wintry weather months generally tend to have lower humidity, however Minamitorishima's annual overall precipitation is set 70% much less than that of Tokyo. Unlike Tokyo, which has less rainfall in the colder months, Minamitorishima studies decrease average humidity. Light rain commonly takes place from February to June, while July and August deliver heavy rainfall and an increase in typhoons.
Located at Japan's easternmost factor, Minamitorishima is the earliest region in Japan every day.
FAQs About Minamitorishima
Q. How are energy and water managed?
A. Electricity is generated with the aid of electric generators, with gas added yearly by ship. Water is desalinated and disinfected to be used. Management and operation are performed by using the Japan Meteorological Agency workforce.
Q. How do staff tour to and from Minamitorishima?
A. Staff rotation happens once a month for the usage of Self-Defense Force aircraft. The one-manner ride takes about 4 hours, depending on weather situations.
Q. How are meals and substances dealt with?
A. Food and substances are introduced weekly by the Self-Defense Force plane. Additionally, risky materials like hydrogen and massive equipment for top atmospheric statements are provided annually by ships.
Q. I need to go to Minamitorishima…
A. Currently, public visits aren't authorized because of the absence of policies for public transportation, accommodation, meals, medical offerings, and quarantine measures.
References:
https://www.vill.ogasawara.tokyo.jp/minamitori_index/minamitori_history/
https://www.t-borderislands.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/minamitorishima/
https://www.vill.ogasawara.tokyo.jp/minamitori_index/
https://www.jma-net.go.jp/minamitorishima/faq.html
