The creepy island abandoned by the rich now a haven for dark tourism | World | News
An eerie ghost island just off the coast of a Japanese city known for one of the most devastating events in history has been abandoned for more than half a century and is slowly being reclaimed by nature. Hashima Island is just eight nautical miles from the center of Nagasaki and is one of 505 uninhabited islands in the Prefecture of the same name.
Once a symbol of the Asian country’s rapid industrialization, the island now stands as a reminder of Japanese war crimes as a site of forced labor before and during World War II. At its peak, the 16-acre island was once home to more than 5,200 people. It is located a short distance from Nagasaki, which was the second city in the world to suffer a nuclear attack on August 9, 1945, and saw the death of 10% of its population less than a second after the explosion. Interest in Hashima Island has resurfaced over the past 20 years thanks to its intact historical ruins, and it has gradually become a tourist attraction with the reopening of travel to its shores in April 2009.
Known as Gunkanjima, or “Battleship Island” because of its shape, the island was once a thriving coal mining center after the discovery of rich coal reserves in the 1800s. Mitsubishi purchased the island and its mines in 1890, during a period of rapid industrialization, providing housing for workers and their families. The company transformed the island, building blocks of flats, a school, public bathrooms, a pool, gardens, a clubhouse and even a pachinko parlor, a popular Japanese pinball game.
The island’s residents earned much higher salaries than their mainland counterparts, and many homes were equipped with the latest technology, including the latest satellite TV. By 1959, it was one of the most densely populated areas in the world, as the lure of high wages caused people to flock to its shores.
In the late 20th century, coal reserves were exhausted and mining became unviable. Residents soon began to relocate and eventually the island was abandoned. Mitsubishi closed its coal power plants in 1974.
Hashima Island also has a dark place in history. During World War II, Chinese POWs and exploited Korean immigrants were transported to Hashima and forced to work under brutal and inhumane conditions in the mines. Escape was impossible thanks to the island’s sea wall, and many people died of hunger and exhaustion.
Hashima Island continues to be mired in controversy. In July 2015, the island’s coal mine was officially approved as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution Sites series. To facilitate this, Japan and South Korea negotiated an agreement in which Korea would not object to the inclusion of Hashima Island, while Japan promised not to cover up the history of forced labor on the island.
However, all other UNESCO committee members agree that Japan has not fulfilled its obligations, and mediation efforts on this issue are ongoing.
Hashima’s dystopian atmosphere caught the attention of filmmakers, including Sam Mendes, who used it as the location for the 2012 James Bond hit Skyfall as 007 confronts his arch-nemesis.
Modern tourists have confirmed this chilling atmosphere. A recent visitor wrote on Tripadvisor: “An unforgettable experience […] As you walk along the designated paths, you can almost feel the presence of the thousands of people who live and work here. “A truly unforgettable piece of Japan’s industrial past.”
