is a village

Villages of Japan

A is a local administrative unit in Japan.It is a local public body along with , , and . Geographically, a village's extent is contained within a prefecture....

 located in Hachijō Subprefecture

Hachijo Subprefecture

is a subprefecture of Tokyo, Japan. The organization belongs to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau Of General Affairs.It includes the following towns and villages on the Izu Islands:*Hachijō...

, Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

.

Geography

Aogashima Village covers the island of Aogashima

Aogashima

is a village located in Hachijō Subprefecture, Tokyo, Japan.-Geography:Aogashima Village covers the island of Aogashima, the southernmost and most isolated populated island in the Izu archipelago in the Philippine Sea, south of central Tokyo, and south of Hachijōjima, its nearest populated...

, the southernmost and most isolated populated island in the Izu archipelago

Izu Islands

The are a group of volcanic islands stretching south and east from the Izu Peninsula of Honshū, Japan. Administratively, they form two towns and six villages; all part of Tokyo. The largest is Izu Ōshima, usually called simply Ōshima....

 in the Philippine Sea

Philippine Sea

The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea east and north of the Philippines occupying an estimated surface area of 2 million mi² on the western part of the North Pacific Ocean...

, 358.4 kilometres (222.7 mi) south of central Tokyo, and 71.4 kilometres (44.4 mi) south of Hachijōjima, its nearest populated neighbor. Aogashima is the least populous municipality in the whole of Japan. Warmed by the Kuroshio Current

Kuroshio Current

The Kuroshio is a north-flowing ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean. It is similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic and is part of the North Pacific ocean gyre...

, the town has a warmer and wetter climate than central Tokyo.

History

It is uncertain when human settlement first began on Aogashima, but the island was known to be inhabited in the early Edo period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

, and is mentioned in historical records kept by the Tokugawa shogunate

Tokugawa shogunate

The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...

in Hachijōjima. During a major volcanic eruption in 1785, a large number of islanders perished, and the remainder were evacuated to Hachijōjima. A 1835 census reported 241 inhabitants (133 men, 108 women), mostly engaged in fishing.

On April 1, 1940, the island came under the administrative jurisdiction of Hachijō Subprefecture. The population is centered on two hamlets; in the east and in the west.

Economy

Fishing and subsidence agriculture are the mainstays of the economy of Aogashima, with small number of tourists and sports fishermen providing seasonal income.

Transportation

Due to its lack of natural harbors and strong currents, Aogashima has always been difficult of access. The wharf at the island’s only port, Sanbō, can handle small ships of up to 500 tons, and is unusable during time of high waves and inclement weather. Toho Air also provides chartered helicopter service to the island from Hachijōjima.

Education

Because Aogashima has a small population, there is one school that is available to elementary and the junior high school students. serves student populations.