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Mage - Japan's Island Beyond the Reach of the Law

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 May 2025

Gavan McCormack
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While a great deal of attention focuses on the chain of islands dividing the East China Sea from the Pacific Ocean between Japan's Kyushu and Taiwan, it tends to focus heavily on those that are part of Okinawa prefecture and to neglect those in the northern part of he chain that are close to Kyushu and administratively part of Kagoshima rather than Okinawa prefecture. Mage is one such. Mage (literally: Horsehair) island sits well north of the line that separates Kagoshima from Okinawa prefecture. It is not Okinawa but is worthy of attention because it shows the same general trends as does Okinawa - of “remote island” blues (especially depopulation), dependence on whims of the central government, and the insidious workings of a military base mentality (even though not one soldier has yet set foot on it).

Type
Research Article
Information
Asia-Pacific Journal , Volume 10 , Issue 8 , February 2012 , e2
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2012

References

Notes

1 Tatsuzawa Shiro, “Watakushi no shiten,” Asahi shimbun, 2 July 2011. See also Mageshima kankyo mondai taisaku henshu iinkai (Tatsuzawa et al.), eds. Mageshima, takaranojima - yutaka na shizen, rekishi to rankaihatsu, Kagoshima, Nanpo shinsha, 2010, and his essay “‘Mageshima no fushigi na yoru’ ni yosete,” in Ogawa Misako and Harada Mika, Mageshima no fushigi na yoru, Kagoshima, Nanpo shinsha, 2003, pp. 31-33. (I am indebted to Shiba Hiromoto for drawing my attention to this latter exquisite children's book.).

2 Population figures taken from “Mageshima, matamo tsumazuku kichi mondai,” Wedge Report, online, 21 July 2011.

3 “Mageshima kenchikibutsu no kazei Tasutonsha ni ichi mo tsuchijin, Kagoshima ken,” Nishi Nihon shimbun, 7 December 2011.

4 “Kichi yuchi e no dai kaihatsu, shinnrin gekigen, Kagoshima, Mageshima, gyosei mokunin,” Asahi shimbun, 10 August 2011. http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0810/SE B201108100071.html

5 Ibid.

6 For details of the Hatoyama matter, Gavan McCormack and Satoko Oka Norimatsu, Resistant Islands: Okinawa confronts Japan and the United States, forthcoming, Boulder, Rowman and Littlefield, 2012.

7 “Mageshima, matamo tsumazuku kichi mondai,” Wedge Report, online, 21 July 2011, http://wedge.ismedia.jp/articles/-/416/

8 Population figures taken from Nishinoomote City home page, February 2012

9 “Mageshima ga iten kohochi, boei fukudaijin ga jimoto ni seshiki dentatsu,” Asahi shinbun, 2 July 2011.

10 “Kagoshima Governor now opposes U.S. carrier drills on Mage Island,” Japan Update, 9 December 2011.

11 Minami Nihon shimbun, 22 November 2011 and 28 January 2012 respectively.

12 “Mageshima kenchikubutsu ni kazei …” op. cit.

13 “Tasuton eapoto ga Bei kubo kanzaiki rikujo chakuriku kunren kichi kensetsu chu, Mageshima,”JC-Net, 22 November 2011, http://h-seikei.jp/2011/11/post-3396.html

14 “Ima ya ‘Mageshima serusumanM gappuchi no Tateishi kensetsu kogyo shacho no katsuro wa hirakeru no ka?” Weekly Net Magazine, 18 August 2011, http://polestar.0510.main.jp/?eid=876248