Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information National Report Completion of a new Self-Defense Forces air base in Kagoshima Prefecture will be delayed for three years until the end of March 2030 Shipping of construction materials to the site on Mageshima island in Nishinoomote in the prefecture didn’t proceed as scheduled due to high waves and strong winds Insufficient supplies of materials and staffers resulting from the Noto Peninsula earthquake on Jan the base will host field landing practices for the U.S military’s aircraft carrier-based planes and drills by SDF aircraft The base will be equipped with two runways storage facilities and SDF members’ housing quarters Construction of the main facilities of the base started in January 2023 and was scheduled to be completed in about four years at the initial stage Top court rules against Okinawa governor’s bid to block new base Henoko landfill work resumes after 2-month COVID-19 hiatus Ministry tells island city it will host SDF base Work to shore up soft seabed for base relocation to Henoko starts Information on the latest cherry blossom conditions Please right click to use your browser’s translation function.) A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II In-house News and Messages No reproduction or republication without written permission The earthquake comes as Japan warns of a mega-earthquake off its Pacific coast that could trigger devastating tsunamis and cause economic damage The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said on April 2 that a magnitude 6.2 earthquake shook the northeastern area of ​​Nishinoomote City the earthquake occurred at 23:03 local time There is currently no information on casualties or damage Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world with an 80% chance of a magnitude 8-9 earthquake occurring along the Nankai Trench The Nankai Trench is located off the Pacific coast southwest of Japan and is about 900 km long The trench was formed by the Philippine tectonic plate (which consists of the oceanic lithosphere lying on the floor of the Philippine Sea) subducting under the Eurasian tectonic plate Accumulated tectonic deformations will cause megaquakes every 100 - 150 years Your comment has been submitted and will be displayed after being approved by the editorial team.The editorial board reserves the right to edit comments to comply with the Newspaper's content regulations Governing body: Hai Duong Provincial Party Committee granted by the Ministry of Information and Communications on May 10 Editorial information Earthquake with magnitude 6.2 occurred off the coast of Japan. As reported by BAKU.WS with reference to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the tremors were recorded at 14:03 UTC (18:03 Baku time). The epicenter was located 54 km northeast of the city of Nishinoomote, where about 14,000 people live. The hypocenter of the earthquake was at a depth of 26 km. No information about casualties or destruction has been reported. Russians have created a real frenzy around the kefir that Vladimir Putin offered to journalists in a recently released documentary film. In just one day after t... The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck in the evening and had a preliminary magnitude of 6.3. It was centered 10 miles off the city of Nishinoomote on the island of Tanegashima in Kagoshima prefecture at a depth of 22 miles, it said. Japan’s meteorological agency said the quake caused moderately strong shaking in nearby areas. Japan is one of the most earthquake- and tsunami-prone areas in the world. Kyushu was struck by a series of earthquake in 2016, which smashed homes, warped roads and damaged a castle, leaving nine people dead and more than 800 injured. Thousands of people were evacuated. In 2011, the northeastern area of Fukushima was hit by a quake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown, the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Politics World & Nation California Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map Japan started construction work Thursday for a Self-Defense Forces base on an uninhabited island in a southwestern prefecture under a plan to relocate military drills using U.S In the work expected to last four years on Mage Island in Kagoshima the ministry will first build runways and ammunition storage facilities according to an environmental assessment report made public earlier in the day The project will pave the way for the relocation of the practice site for U.S fighter jets from Iwoto Island in the Pacific following the construction work on the 8 square km island The ministry has proposed paying 2.2 billion yen ($17 million) in compensation to local fishermen who will not be able to operate during the four-year construction period and the following assessment year Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Thursday the new base will be "indispensable" for U.S aircraft carriers to constantly operate in the Asia-Pacific region "Given the most severe and complicated security environment of the postwar era the government will build this facility and begin its operation at an early date," the top government spokesman told a news conference The relocation plan stated in the 2011 U.S military realignment accord between Tokyo and Washington moved forward after Kagoshima Gov Koichi Shiota gave the nod to the project last November citing the "increasingly severe security environment" surrounding Japan apparently referring to China's maritime assertiveness in the East China Sea mayor of Nishinoomote that will host the base has yet to clarify his stance after winning re-election in 2021 with a campaign pledge to oppose the project military previously carried out takeoff and landing drills at its Atsugi base near Tokyo but the training site was moved to Iwoto Island temporarily in the early 1990s due largely to noise complaints from local residents The fighters were all transferred from Atsugi to another U.S military base in the western Japan city of Iwakuni by 2018 resulting in longer flights to the training site Iwoto Island is around 1,400 km southeast of Iwakuni After Washington asked Tokyo to prepare a more convenient and permanent location for the drills military realignment accord between Japan and the United States in 2011 U.S. Marines to set up unit in Okinawa for remote Japan island defense PM Kishida to try to boost Japan-U.S. security ties in talks with Biden Japan, U.S. agree China poses "greatest strategic challenge" To have the latest news and stories delivered to your inbox Simply enter your email address below and an email will be sent through which to complete your subscription Please check your inbox for a confirmation email Thank you for reaching out to us.We will get back to you as soon as possible Kagoshima Prefecture--The Defense Ministry on Dec 21 started a drilling survey off Mageshima island here for a base as a replacement training site for U.S The survey to assess geological conditions of the island is scheduled to continue until the end of May The results will be used to flesh out details for the base such as the location and size of a planned port facility The initial work involved a vessel carrying heavy machinery to lower a steel pipe into waters off the uninhabited island to drill into the seafloor The assessment work will be carried out at 37 locations off the east coast of the island Preparatory work got under way after the workers departed from nearby Tanegashima island on Dec The project is aimed at establishing a Self-Defense Forces facility on Mageshima island to relocate the U.S military’s landing practice site on Iwoto island The ministry purchased most of the land needed for the training site which has the authority to approve work for collecting soil and rock samples from the seabed in the area granted the ministry permission to conduct the survey in November citing a likely limited impact on local fisheries opposed construction of the proposed base and submitted a written opinion to the ministry to express his concerns “We cannot rule out the possibility that the survey could negatively impact the local fishing environment,” Yaita said in the document Local opinion is divided over the ministry’s project to build the base Fishermen who operate in waters off Mageshima island filed lawsuits this month seeking an injunction against the survey and the retraction of the prefectural government’s approval for the work It remains to be seen if the project will proceed as planned The ministry will soon start procedures to conduct an environmental assessment as well to measure noise levels caused by landing practices and the impact of construction work on the local environment The ministry expects to spend about two years to complete the study and roughly four years to construct the base It has not disclosed when the construction work or exercises would begin on the island Kagoshima Prefecture--An independent incumbent narrowly won re-election as mayor on Jan 31 on a campaign to block the central government’s plan to relocate a training site for U.S carrier-based aircraft to the island community alone will likely not affect the central government’s plan it could spread opposition against the project to the prefectural government level who heads the city’s chamber of commerce and industry and ran as an independent but was backed by the Liberal Democratic Party The main issue in the election was the project to set up a Self-Defense Forces facility on Mageshima island that will serve as a relocation site for U.S military landing practices from Iwoto island People in Nishinoomote “have too much to lose” if they accept the SDF facility and the relocated training site for field carrier landing practices Yaita celebrated the victory with his supporters at a community center on the evening of Jan and described the election as a referendum on the relocation plan “I will discuss with the central government to find a solution,” Yaita said Nishinoomote had 12,624 eligible voters as of Jan and 80.17 percent of them cast ballots in the election All six failed to win the required minimum number of votes argued that the city’s economy would be bolstered by hosting SDF members building a base and receiving grant money related to the training and the facility actively supported Fukui’s bid to become mayor but they fell short of Yaita’s grass-roots campaign supported by his former classmates “I will pursue to build a city whose economy does not rely on a base,” Yaita said has shown no signs of slowing down construction of the SDF facility The Defense Ministry will soon conduct an environmental impact assessment to check if noise caused by the construction and the flight training would affect the natural habitat The ministry has already started the bidding processes for designing an airfield and a port facility at the site as well as for construction of peripheral roads The city government has recognized that it “does not have the authority to stop the project.” Kagoshima Governor Koichi Shiota has yet to reveal his stance on the Mageshima plan But Shiota said at a January news conference before the mayoral election: “Mageshima will be a major election issue and a barometer of public opinion I will set the prefectural government’s stance based on the (election result).” EDITORIAL: Next prime minister needs to ditch Abe’s failed Okinawa policy Mayor with disc hernia caught out for setting up sauna in office EDITORIAL: Okinawa voters again show anti-base feelings in assembly poll Suga takes over tough diplomatic challenges left by his predecessor The mayor of an island off the coast of southern Kagoshima Prefecture has done an about-face over the controversial relocation of U.S military exercises nearby after he campaigned to stop it Nishinoomote Mayor Shunsuke Yaita won re-election in January 2021 vowing to staunchly oppose the U.S military using the nearby Mageshima island which is part of Nishinoomote but uninhabited Yaita met with Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi in Tokyo and submitted a request regarding Mageshima that all but admitted defeat It called for creating a forum between the municipal and central governments to discuss the issue on the assumption that the training exercises would be moved there and that a new Self-Defense Force base would be built there as well It also requested “special consideration” of tax subsidies distributed to local governments that agree to cooperate with efforts to relocate U.S Kishi told Yaita that efforts would be made to respond to local concerns through the new forum and that utmost consideration would be given over the tax subsidy “There was a need to resolve the concerns of residents through a realistic approach,” Yaita told reporters after the meeting Yaita said he would express his position on the Mageshima plan at a later date but added he felt this was the responsible way to proceed I felt I could not encourage division among residents.” Defense Ministry officials had informed Yaita in January that Mageshima had been selected to be the site for U.S military training exercises and hosting the SDF base Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet approved a draft budget for fiscal 2022 with 318.3 billion yen ($2.8 billion) earmarked for the Mageshima base plan Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and their U.S the two sides agreed to proceed with the Mageshima plan Given that the central government has already formally approved Mageshima as the site The Nishinoomote municipal government held discussions with 51 local organizations Some expressed expectations they would receive tax subsidies while others asked that a forum be set up to discuss local concerns The request made clear that the municipal government was prepared to accept the relocation and the new SDF base as it entered discussions with the central government (This article was written by Sunao Gushiken and Kaigo Narisawa.) EDITORIAL: Local support vital for planned military base on Mageshima isle Experts: SDF base could wipe out deer native to Kagoshima isle Japan repeats its call for stricter COVID measures at U.S Kagoshima Prefecture—The Defense Ministry announced that it will build a Self-Defense Forces base here that will be used for relocated U.S drawing a stunned reaction from the city mayor “The government decided to pick Mageshima island not as a candidate site but as the official site for construction of the SDF base,” a ministry official told Nishinoomote Mayor Shunsuke Yaita at the city government office on Jan The SDF facility on Mageshima island will be used as a new training site for U.S carrier-based aircraft that are currently using Iwoto island “We thought an (environment impact) assessment was being conducted to decide on whether to build (the base),” Yaita said A Defense Ministry official explained the rush behind the decision “It’s a race against time when it comes to national security,” the official said “We need to construct the SDF facility on the island as soon as possible to strengthen our country’s defense capabilities and the Japan-U.S the Cabinet of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida approved the government’s draft budget for fiscal 2022 with 318.3 billion yen ($2.78 billion) earmarked for the base construction During “two plus two” security talks between Japan and the United States on Jan Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi expressed the government’s resolve to quickly build the base Mageshima island had been a leading candidate site for the relocated U.S military landing practices since the two plus two security talks in 2011 Japan and the United States affirmed that the island would be the official site for a new base for the landing practices The Defense Ministry had repeatedly stressed the importance of winning the “understanding and cooperation of locals” for the plan But it has essentially ignored calls from Yaita to halt the project for an environmental assessment the ministry announced it would solicit bids for the construction of a cement plant on Mageshima island It also began building a road along the outer perimeter of the island this month saying the work is not targeted for the environmental assessment Residents in Nishinoomote in favor of the SDF base project feared they would miss out on the economic benefits if the opponents prevailed The central government will provide subsidies expected to reach 25 billion yen over a decade to municipalities affected by the realignment of U.S but it is unlikely to give the subsidies to those opposing the project The Defense Ministry presented a draft construction plan on Tanegashima island The plan showed SDF facilities would be built at Nakatane and Minamitane towns which both have effectively approved the relocation plan “It’s a blatant attempt to cut Nishinoomote out of the loop,” said a city assembly member in favor of the project The jurisdiction of Nishinoomote also covers part of Tanegashima island The ministry’s carrot-and-stick approach put Yaita in a difficult position A local chamber of commerce and industry source who supports the project said the city would be left with nothing but the burden of hosting the new base if it continues its futile efforts to oppose the plan Yaita did not strongly protest the ministry’s decision at his Jan The mayor expressed his discontent only to reporters saying the ministry “leaves local residents behind.” training site re-elected mayor in Kagoshima Kagoshima Prefecture--A sika deer subspecies native to Mageshima island here could become extinct if a Self-Defense Forces base is built on the islet for U.S Experts are calling on the Defense Ministry to review the plan and provide measures to preserve the deer population The Environment Ministry’s red list of endangered species classifies the “sika deer of Mageshima island,” commonly known as the Mage sika deer The SDF base planned on the uninhabited island will serve as a relocation site for field carrier landing practices by U.S training facilities and other structures will be built on a 718-hectare site “We will study the possibility of setting aside a habitat for the Mage sika deer outside the areas for the airfield and other facilities.” The ministry in February initiated formalities for an environmental impact assessment on the island The “scoping document,” which describes the items to be studied and the assessment methods says the Mage sika deer is a “key species,” and that measures will be sought to reduce the impact on the animals and to preserve them The Mammal Society of Japan’s expert committee on the conservation and management of mammals submitted a “written opinion” to the scoping document saying the Mage sika deer “are an important local population with various features and a historical character that needs to be preserved into the future.” It called on authorities to set aside sufficiently large swaths of forests and grassland inside the project area “It would likely become difficult for the deer population to remain in stable existence” if they are driven out of the project area an assistant professor of conservation ecology at Hokkaido University who has been studying the Mage sika deer for three decades also sounded an alarm about their chances of survival “Turning 90 percent of the island into the project area would immediately increase the risk of extinction,” he said Tatsuzawa on March 10 boarded an Asahi Shimbun helicopter for an aerial study of the Mage sika deer when he estimated the deer population at around 280 That was down from his count of 570 in 2000 when he landed on the island for the survey Tatsuzawa said the deer population had shrunk partly because a company that owned the island cut down trees and prepared land plots for development during the 2000s Although the estimated deer population has slightly increased since 2011 because no large-scale development projects were implemented the deer numbers are still a far cry from their pre-development project levels He also pointed out a further deterioration in the habitat environment Moving ahead with the base construction plan would “irrecoverably degrade the island’s environment and biodiversity,” he said “Its environment and vegetation should be restored to prevent the extinction of the Mage sika deer and the project should be reviewed to minimize destruction of the environment and vegetation.” Wild stag spotted with dead rival’s head stuck in its antlers Kagoshima Prefecture--Seven Self-Defense Forces' F-15s stood in for U.S carrier-based aircraft on May 16 that will relocate here for flight training The Defense Ministry is planning to relocate the U.S military’s landing practice site from Iwoto island But some local residents doubted the tests done by the ministry would be accurate as they were being carried out using the SDF's F-15 fighter jets instead of U.S The SDF fighter jets did not perform “touch-and-go” landing exercises but increased engine power when flying over the uninhabited island Actual touch-and-go landing practice would cause much greater noise than the demonstration flights “The demonstration flights were not exactly the same as the planned U.S but I hope they will help local residents decide whether to accept the plan,” said Kagoshima Governor Koichi Shiota who watched the flights from the roof of the prefectural government’s branch office in Nishinoomote on nearby Tanegashima island military will likely carry out training exercises on Mageshima island from the daytime through around 3 a.m for 10 to 20 days a year under the relocation plan five SDF fighter jets flew between 3:30 p.m They took four to eight flight routes expected to be used during the military’s landing and takeoff practices The ministry measured noise levels at 14 locations in six cities and towns near the island and will later release the results Ex-mayor held in bribery case tied to GSDF camp on Okinawa isle Editorial Concerns have been raised about possible noise pollution and destruction of nature over a plan being floated to build a Self-Defense Forces base on Mageshima island in Nishinoomote The facility will serve as a training site The central government should address those concerns in fulfilling its accountability in accordance with due process Tokyo is facing its first test over how seriously it will work on the environmental impact assessment mooring facilities for vessels and other structures on Mageshima an uninhabited islet 12 kilometers to the west of Tanegashima island The planned military base will be hosting not only drills by SDF aircraft but also field carrier landing practices by U.S which will be relocated there from Iwoto island submitted a written opinion to the Defense Ministry late last month on a “scoping document,” in which the ministry spelled out study methods and procedures for the environmental assessment which took into account the views presented by residents and the Nishinoomote city government contains 52 requests that cover the environment The governor requested that a “draft environmental impact statement,” which will be worked out in the next stage include findings from noise studies that will assume flights over Tanegashima island which is home to 28,000 residents; the configuration and sizes of the planned port facilities; and measures to be taken for preserving the environment The problem is that the Defense Ministry has withheld concrete details of the SDF aircraft drills and the facilities The ministry has only said those details will be decided on the basis of future studies But noise is expected to directly affect the quietude of everyday lives The construction work could have a big impact on the water quality living creatures and fisheries around the site depending on how the work will be conducted including whether it will involve land reclamation It is only too natural for the local community to have raised questions on them military aircraft practices will be held only once or twice a year The ministry has also presented planned route maps for the U.S which involve no flights over Tanegashima island have repeatedly ignored their predetermined routes and altitudes during their flights over Okinawa and mainland Japan the government of Japan has given tacit approvals to similar breaches of rules or only made perfunctory protests without taking any effective measures In building a new military base in the Henoko district of Nago the Defense Ministry has violated a condition imposed by the prefectural government which said that coral should not be transplanted out of the planned reclamation site during seasons of high water temperatures and other periods The attitude of the ministry’s officials openly show that they are only concerned about pressing ahead with their own projects with consideration for the environment relegated to the back burner Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said at a news conference that he believes it is “important to gain the understanding and cooperation of the local community.” He should reflect seriously on what he should do to gain the understanding and cooperation that he spoke of There are diverse views on the Mageshima base construction plan with the local community split on the pros and cons One thing that is clear is that a slipshod environmental assessment could make it difficult for residents and local governments to make appropriate decisions and thereby allow the rift to drag on into the future The central government should take to heart that the planned base could not be operated stably without the understanding and cooperation of the local community Kagoshima Prefecture--Governor Koichi Shiota is signaling his approval of the central government’s controversial plan to build a new Self-Defense Forces base on Mageshima island and relocate where the U.S Shiota publicly expressed his acceptance of the plan for Mageshima island which is part of the municipality of Nishinoomote “Partly because the security environment is deteriorating further I concluded that our prefecture has to give understanding to the government’s plan to build a Self-Defense Forces base on Mageshima island,” Shiota told the assembly who had staunchly opposed the plan during his election campaign last year has more recently softened his hard-line stance on the issue Sources say Yaita will soon publicly declare he supports it as well The Defense Ministry put together its draft environmental impact assessment of the plan on Nov which signaled to both levels of government that it will act in accordance with the governor’s requests--including one related to concerns about noise from the SDF base 25 and said they think the government’s response to their requests are “sincere.” The two men suggested they would announce their positions on the plan in the coming days and stressed that they are on the same page Accepting the plan would be a major reversal for Yaita who won re-election in January 2021 vowing to oppose any U.S The mayor has already stirred up the ire of locals A group of Nishinoomote residents opposed to the plan is accusing him of flip-flopping and is actively trying to get him recalled “I am responding to actual progress (of the plan) while always being conscious of my platform,” Yaita said at a Nov 29 meeting of the Nishinoomote city assembly He sought understanding from voters by saying that his priority is “to do my best to enable Nishinoomote’s residents to feel safe and secure and dispel their anxiety about (the plan).” Kagoshima Prefecture--The Defense Ministry is apparently out of luck trying to convince a mayor to approve its plan to move a training site for U.S Nishinoomote Mayor Shunsuke Yaita had held off on revealing the city's stance pending discussions with the ministry though he had previously voiced opposition to accepting the base He cleared up any ambiguity over the city's position at an Oct “We do not approve of the plan," Yaita said The ministry has purchased most of the land needed for the training site on the island But it needs to acquire plots of the city government’s property to construct a base there The ministry is proceeding with the project to set up a Self-Defense Forces facility on Mageshima island in Nishinoomote to relocate the U.S Yaita said the ministry failed to provide clear answers regarding the city’s inquiries about the impact of the deafening roar of the military aircraft during exercises the size of grants to be provided to the city for hosting the training site and other details “Unclear points have not been clarified,” the mayor said referring to a response the city received from the ministry in late September “We are concerned that the central government will proceed with the project slowly in stages to create a fait accompli.” He also said the ministry apparently believes that the city must endure the hardship from hosting the military facility domestic law cannot put an end to their presence.” The ministry also expects to conduct an offshore drilling survey to prepare for construction of a port on Mageshima When it seeks approval from the Kagoshima prefectural government to start the survey it will need a document where Nishinoomote makes clear its stance on the project Yaita intends to seek re-election in March's mayoral poll the head of the city’s chamber of commerce and industry who supports the central government's training site project has already announced his candidacy for mayor Young offenders trained to make wine to help them find work An old woman walks by a mosaic rocket at an elementary school with only 16 students in Tanegashima.  (Kyodo) © Kyodo Japan -- When a Mos Burger hamburger store opened in this port city in April it ended a 20-year period in which there was no fast-food outlet on the island of 28,000 residents and marked a potential new beginning for its troubled economy Tanegashima is not just any subtropical island with pristine sandy beaches About the size of Guam and located some 1,000 kilometers southwest of Tokyo it is at the cutting edge of space technology -- home to Japan's main rocket launch pad The island also has a proud history: It was the first in Japan to accept Westerners when it acquired gun technology and introduced it to the rest of the country Kagoshima Prefecture--The Defense Ministry began construction of a new Self-Defense Forces base on Mageshima island on Jan 12 as part of a controversial plan to relocate a U.S and comes just a day after a protest where residents demanded the governor of the prefecture withdraw his support for the project The ministry also released a report about its environmental impact assessments on the same day chain saws and other equipment left the port of Tanegashima island in the morning for Mageshima island which is located approximately 10 kilometers west of it The ministry will first trim trees there and then build runways and facilities It estimates the work will last about four years Mageshima island became a candidate site for the relocation of the U.S military’s field carrier landing practices which are currently conducted on Iwoto island in 2011 at a meeting of foreign affairs and defense chiefs from Japan and the United States The central government began acquiring land from a private owner on Mageshima island in 2019 won re-election in January 2021 pledging to oppose the project Yaita has yet to make clear whether he will backtrack and support the project The ministry began dredging there last year to deepen the sea bottom around the port It has also been constructing the roads that run alongside the island’s coast Kagoshima Governor Koichi Shiota gave the project the green light and said measures had been taken to reduce its impact on residents A citizens’ group opposing the project visited the prefectural government office on Jan 11 and demanded that the governor withdraw his approval Kagoshima governor gives the thumbs-up to SDF base plan Today's print edition Home Delivery Construction of an Air Self-Defense Force base on Mageshima the base was projected to be completed in 2027 about four years after the start of the construction work The completion is now expected for the end of March 2030 due to bad weather and a labor shortage according to the Defense Ministry.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); On the nearby Kagoshima island of Tanegashima which has been used as a base for workers involved in the construction project problems such as a sharp increase in traffic volume are causing concern among residents In a time of both misinformation and too much information quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division Kagoshima Prefecture--Part of the wreckage of what is believed to be a Japanese warplane saw the light of day after more than 75 years as it was pulled from the waters off an island here on June 23 A team including officials from the welfare ministry which is in charge of collecting the remains of Japan's war dead is searching for the remains of the crew and their personal belongings among the wreck I thought it must have been a painful experience for (the pilot),” said Fumiaki Nayuki “We want to carry the search through to the end.” The team plans to continue its search on June 24 this is the first time that the mission involves the salvage of a sunken aircraft likely used by the Imperial Japanese Navy The wreckage was found at a depth of about 20 meters located roughly 300 meters off Cape Kishigasaki at the northern tip of Tanegashima island The ministry chose this time of year to start the search because the waters are relatively calm The team has been exploring the site and preparing for retrieving the crew's remains from the wreck since June 15 divers wrapped a rope around the plane wreckage and tried to hoist it up by crane but the work did not go smoothly as the wreck is corroded They dug out about 60 percent of the wreckage including parts of the engine and the landing gear from the front of the cockpit The team will move the salvaged parts to a pontoon boat to examine them for the remains of the crew and their belongings The aircraft appears to be a Type 97 carrier-based attack bomber used by the Imperial Japanese Navy according to the Japan Association for Recovery and Repatriation of War Casualties which is commissioned by the ministry to conduct the search The entire wreckage was buried upside down in the sand with half of the wings lost The wreck measured 8.8 meters long and 7.3 meters wide Divers dug out sand from the cockpit by hand discovered the wreckage in 2015 after learning from local fishermen that an aircraft was likely resting at the site He has since been involved in search efforts to return any crew remains found to the bereaved families as soon as possible The Type 97 aircraft is believed to have been used in kamikaze attacks during the waning days of the Pacific War The three-seater attack planes are believed to have made sorties from the Kushira naval air base in today’s Kanoya Ministry starts search for human remains from sunken warplane Fears raised that war dead remains mixed in with Henoko landfill Man on hunger strike again over using soil with WWII remains base landfill soil mixed with WWII remains Bones of 8 people found in cave near Battle of Okinawa site Human remains unearthed near Osaka station at former cemetery Kagoshima Prefecture--Wreckage of a wartime Japanese aircraft salvaged from the seabed near here yielded no human remains only a pencil and what appeared to be a pair of pincers Team members who raised most of the plane from a depth of about 20 meters said it was likely a Type 97 carrier-based attack bomber used by the Imperial Japanese Navy The model was used for suicide missions in the waning days of World War II It was found roughly 300 meters off Cape Kishigasaki at the northern tip of Tanegashima island members of the Japan Association for Recovery and Repatriation of War Casualties mounted the operation in the hope of finding human remains to return to their families The project was commissioned by the Ministry of Health which is in charge of recovering the remains of the war dead and the wreckage was pulled to the surface between June 23 and June 24 this is the first time to search for human remains after salvaging a sunken aircraft used by Japan's wartime military The salvaged plane will be put on display at a peace museum in Usa which hosted a training site for Type 97 crew members during the war Warplane salvaged from sea in search for human remains Russians find ‘underground city’ of war era on Etorofu island helicopter’s emergency night landing alarms Okinawans Kagoshima Prefecture--The central government on June 15 started a search for human remains among the wreckage of a sunken aircraft believed to be a Japanese warplane in the waters off the southern coast of Kyushu it has retrieved crew remains from sunken warships in the past but this is the first time that the mission involves a sunken aircraft likely used by the Imperial Japanese Navy a local dive shop operator who discovered the wreck “I hope the remains will be recovered and brought back to their hometowns as soon as possible,” Hayashi said The wreckage rests at a depth of about 20 meters located roughly 300 meters off the northern tip of Tanegashima island The three-seater aircraft is believed to have been used in Japan's 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and kamikaze attacks during the waning days of the Pacific War local divers discovered part of the plane wreckage off the coast of Tanegashima island after learning from local fishermen that an aircraft was likely resting there They repeatedly dived at the site to dig into the sand around the wreck and spotted an item that appears to be a wing of the aircraft The ministry decided that a search is merited to locate the remains of the plane’s crew based on the results of its on-site inspections The mission started in June as planned since tides are relatively calm The search is being conducted mainly by the Japan Association for Recovery and Repatriation of War Casualties which is commissioned by the government to collect the remains of the nation’s war dead The ministry also dispatched its own officials and experts who specialize in analyzing remains The team will look for the remains of the crew and their personal belongings by digging in the seabed by hand as most parts of the aircraft remain buried under the sand but strong tides forced them to suspend their search immediately after it began They will resume their work on June 16 or later while paying attention to any potentially hazardous objects under the sea “We can spend only 20 minutes or so exploring the area in each dive due to strong tides,” said Fumiaki Nayuki “We’ll do our best to locate the remains.” The recovery operation is scheduled to continue until around June 23 Prewar pictures provide glimpse into daily lives of Okinawans Photos show Naha before city was razed in World War II Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu. The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser KAGOSHIMA—A fish that was nearly a meal for an elderly islander turned out to be the first of its species ever found in Japanese waters the Japanese threadfin bream had never been spotted landed the fish at Nishinoomote Port on Tanegashima island in Kagoshima Prefecture in January 2020 he decided to show it to Hiroyuki Motomura a Kagoshima University Museum professor of fish taxonomy Motomura studied the fish with Jumpei Nakamura from the Kagoshima City Aquarium and identified it as a Japanese threadfin bream based on its patterns The species is abundant in waters off Taiwan and in Southeast Asia Miza’s catch was apparently born off Taiwan and was immediately carried by the Kuroshio Current to waters off Tanegashima island The species was named “Nemipterus japonicus,” which means Japanese threadfin bream The initial specimen was likely collected near Java island in today’s Indonesia but it was mistakenly attributed to waters off Japan A Japanese ichthyologist in 1938 gave it a Japanese name although no fish of the species had ever been found in the country The two scientists on April 30 published their research results online in the Japanese Journal of Ichthyology which is issued by the Ichthyological Society of Japan The article calls the discovery the northernmost record of the species in the West Pacific “I feel deeply moved to have been able to directly hold the first specimen of the species in Japan although that came as a result of chance factors Miza said he was surprised to learn it was the first fish of its kind found in Japan “I am happy I didn’t send it down my throat,” he said Unknown sumo champion-class fish species found off Shizuoka Tree species believed ‘extinct’ in Japan found after a century Study: Albatross once thought extinct is two different species Fugu’ shares his passion for pufferfish cuisine Oxygen levels near zero in bottom areas of Lake Biwako Body structure of sunfish seen as way to build aircraft of future please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent The Defense Ministry has begun construction of a Self-Defense Force base on Mageshima Island in Nishinoomote will take about four years and includes the installation of two runways Mageshima is an uninhabited island of about 8 square kilometers located about 12 kilometers west of Tanegashima island A document issued in 2011 following defense talks between Japanese and U.S foreign and defense chiefs picked Mageshima as a candidate site for the relocation of field carrier landing practice (FCLP) of U.S a remote island administratively part of Tokyo The new base is expected to be used for defense of the Nansei Islands and SDF training including exercises involving the SDF’s Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade and Osprey transport aircraft 2-plus-2 joint statement released Wednesday noted “The ministers welcomed the progress and future prospects for the development of the SDF facility on Mageshima.” Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting © 2025 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun Sign In Subscribe Now Try searching for your content, or return to the homepage Japanese version A very strong magnitude 6.2 earthquake occurred in the Philippine Sea near the coast of  Japan late in the evening of Wednesday The quake had a very shallow depth of 26 km (16 mi) and was felt widely in the area The shallow depth of the quake caused it to be felt more strongly near the epicenter than a deeper quake of similar magnitude would Nishinoomote has a very high level of seismic activity Based on data from the past 25 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900 there are about 734 quakes on average per year in or near Nishinoomote Nishinoomote has had at least 2 quakes above magnitude 7 since 1900 which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently probably on average approximately every 60 to 65 years The quake had a moderate depth of 165 km (102 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so) Nishinoomote was shaken by 2 quakes of magnitude 4.0 or above There were also 18 quakes below magnitude 2.0 which people don't normally feel The quake had a shallow depth of 60 km (37 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so).