Ogasawara Islands
Tokyo … News Time
Ogasawara Islands mark 50th anniversary of return to Japan from US. The Pacific archipelago lies some 1,000 kilometers south of Japan’s main island. The Ogasawara chain comprises some 30 islands including the World War Two battlefield Iwojima. The islands had been under US rule after the war, but were returned to Japan on June 26th, 1968. The islands have seen a surge in the number of visitors since they were added to the UNESCO World Natural Heritage list in 2011. They are a treasure trove of fauna and flora, which attracts about 30,000 visitors annually in recent years. But poor transportation between Ogasawara and Tokyo is an issue. A ferry usually makes one round trip every week. The one-way voyage takes about 24 hours. The village of Ogasawara is calling for the opening of an airline route to and from the islands to protect the livelihoods of islanders.
