Mageshima

Overview

Mageshima is an island belonging to Nishinoomote City in Kagoshima Prefecture, forming part of the Ōsumi Islands (also grouped with the Satsunan Islands). It covers roughly eight square kilometers and lies west of Tanegashima.

Highlights

• ●An island of about eight square kilometers within the Ōsumi Islands
• ●Administered as an ōaza of Nishinoomote City on Tanegashima
• ●Became uninhabited in 1980, then recorded registered residents again in 2007
• ●Purchased by the national government in 2011 as a candidate site for aircraft landing training

History

The island once supported a resident population, but with no rivers suited to agriculture, residents gradually left until the last inhabitant departed on April 21, 1980, leaving it uninhabited. Records show that by January 2007, fifteen people were again registered as residents under Nishinoomote's household registry. In 2011, the Japanese and U.S. governments considered the island as a candidate site for carrier-based aircraft landing training, and the Japanese government purchased it from a Tokyo-based development company for about 16 billion yen.

Map

30.7417, 130.8547 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Check background information on Mageshima at a Nishinoomote City facility beforehand
2. 2View the island's location across the water from Tanegashima
3. 3Contact Nishinoomote City Hall to confirm current access restrictions
4. 4Combine the trip with other sights around Tanegashima

Did you know?

💡 The island is registered as an ōaza of Nishinoomote City with its own postal code, 891-3118.

Nearby spots