Yonaguni, Okinawa
Encyclopedia
History
Presently, the oldest confirmed ruins are the Tuguru Beach ruins. Due to the southern style stone tools found, it is thought that a culture influenced by Southeast Asia existed here at one time.After this point, the history of the island of Yonaguni is unclear, but in the Gusuku Era, settlements were formed on the top of the plateau. The Shima Nakamura Ruins are one example, and it is known for being the birth village of the famous woman chief, San’ai Isoba.
From the time of the Ryūkyū Kingdom
Ryukyu Kingdom
The Ryūkyū Kingdom was an independent kingdom which ruled most of the Ryukyu Islands from the 15th century to the 19th century. The Kings of Ryūkyū unified Okinawa Island and extended the kingdom to the Amami Islands in modern-day Kagoshima Prefecture, and the Sakishima Islands near Taiwan...
, Yonaguni prospered as a commerce center with Taiwan. Due to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, until it was placed under control of the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands, the number of people involved in smuggling surged in the area. The population in 1947 had reached 12,000, but although Yonaguni became incorporated as a town, a crackdown on smuggling led to a sharp decrease in the population.
Ishigaki and the surrounding towns and cities are discussing a merger, with the exception of Yonaguni which abstained, cutting the members of parliament from 12 in half, down to 6.
- 1522 Invaded by the Ryūkyū army and became a territory of the Ryūkyū Kingdom.
- 1872 The Ryūkyū Kingdom is abolished; in its place, the Ryūkyū Fiefdom is established and the island becomes a territory of the Ryūkyū Fiefdom.
- 1879 The Ryūkyū Fiefdom is abolished and becomes Okinawa-kenOkinawa Prefectureis one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...
. - 1908 The island municipal system abolishes the magiriMagiriwas a historical type of administrative district in Okinawa, Japan. In concept they were similar to present day Japanese prefectures, but in size they were closer to cities, towns and villages....
system, and the Ishigaki-magiri, Ōhama-magiri, and Miyara-magiri join the island of Yonaguni to become Yaeyama-son. - 1914 Through a division of Yaeyama-son, the village of Yonaguni-son is formed.
- 1948 Yonaguni-chō is incorporated as a town.
Airport
Yonaguni AirportYonaguni Airport
, is a third-class airport located in Yonaguni, Yaeyama District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.-History:The airport opened in 1943 for military use, and became a civilian airport in 1957. International service started in 2007 with a charter flight to/from Taipei operated by Uni Air, with another...
- Japan Transocean AirJapan Transocean Air, or JTA, is an airline based in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It operates domestic services. Its main base is Naha Airport.- History :...
(JTA) – JALJapan Airlinesis an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport , as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport...
group- Ishigaki AirportIshigaki Airport, is a third-class airport located from Ishigaki city centre in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The airport fields flights to major cities on the Japanese mainland as well as destinations throughout Okinawa Prefecture and the Yaeyama Islands.-History:...
30 min., one round trip flight daily (Boeing 737-400Boeing 737The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
)
- Ishigaki Airport
- Ryūkyū Air CommuterRyukyu Air Commuteris an airline headquartered in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It operates domestic passenger services from the island of Okinawa to the Ryūkyū Islands and Amami Islands.-Code data:*ICAO Code: RAC*Callsign: RYUKYU-History:...
(RAC) – JAL and JTA groups- Naha AirportNaha Airport-Incidents:* On December 1, 1994, Ramzi Yousef planted a bomb on Philippine Airlines Flight 434, with the intent of mass murder. The bomb exploded on the Boeing 747-283B en route from Cebu to Tokyo, killing one passenger...
80 min., four round trip flights per week (Bombardier Dash 8 DHC-8-100) - Ishigaki AirportIshigaki Airport, is a third-class airport located from Ishigaki city centre in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The airport fields flights to major cities on the Japanese mainland as well as destinations throughout Okinawa Prefecture and the Yaeyama Islands.-History:...
30 min., four round trip flights per week (Bombardier Dash 8 DHC-8-100)
- Naha Airport
Harbors
Kubura Harbor- Fukuyama Maritime “Ferry Yonakuni”
- Ishigaki Harbor 4 hr. 30 min. (only two round trips per week)
- Naha Harbor (irregular schedule)
Sonai Harbor
Roads
- Okinawa Prefectural Road 216 – Yonaguni Island Route
- Okinawa Prefectural Road 217 – Yonaguni Harbor Route
(Rental cars are available)
Education
- Yonaguni Elementary School
- Kubura Elementary School
- Hikawa Elementary School
- Yonaguni Junior High School
- Kubura Junior High School – Japan’s westernmost school
Because there are no high schools on the island, students entering high school must attend on the Okinawa mainland or on the island of Ishigaki, and 100% of junior-high schoolers continue on to high school.
Famous places and historic sites
- Agarizaki (Eastern Cape)
- IrizakiCape Irizakiis the western tip of Yonaguni island and the westernmost point in Japan. It is located at .It is open to the public. There is a lighthouse, an observation platform, and a monument. Taiwan, which is about 110 kilometers away, is visible on a clear day....
(Western Cape) - Tachigami-iwa (Standing God Rock)
- Gunkan-iwa (Battleship Rock)
- Kubura-bari (crack in the rock at Kubura)
- The open set of the soap opera, Dr. Kotō’s ClinicDr. Koto Shinryojois a manga series by Takatoshi Yamada that was serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Young Sunday until the magazines cancellation, at that point it moved to Big Comic Original in 2008....
- Sanninu-dai (Sanninu Tower)
- Tōyama-jinja (Ten Mountain Shrine) – Japan’s westernmost Shinto shrine
Animals of special significance
- Yonaguni horseYonaguni (horse)The Yonaguni or is a breed of horse native to the southwest islands of Japan, specifically Yonaguni Island. It is a small breed of pony height, typically 11 hands . It is also very rare, with fewer than 200 individuals known to live in Japan...
– One of eight traditional Japanese horses, the smallest horse in Japan. Unable to be seen anywhere other than the island of Yonaguni.
- Atlas mothAttacus atlasThe Atlas moth is a large saturniid moth found in the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia, and common across the Malay archipelago....
– Called ayami habiru locally, this is the world’s largest moth. In Japan, it is found only in Yonaguni.
Broadcasting
Television broadcasts consist of translator stations in Yonaguni and Uchimichi and radio broadcasts are established from the Yonaguni television translator stationBroadcast relay station
A broadcast relay station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator , rebroadcaster , or repeater is a broadcast transmitter which relays, repeats, or reflects the signal of another radio station or television station, usually to an area not covered by the signal of the originating station...
. It is also the only place in Japan where all three NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
Radio stations are on the FM band. In addition, Yonaguni receives Taiwanese television broadcasts (Taiwan Television
Taiwan Television
Taiwan Television Enterprise, Ltd. , commonly known as TTV is launched), is the first television broadcast station in Taiwan...
(TTV), China Television
China Television
China Television Company, Ltd. was established on September 3, 1968 by the then-ruling Nationalist Party of the Republic of China . The party owned the majority stake of the network...
(CTV), and Chinese Television System
Chinese Television System
Chinese Television System is a broadcast television station in Republic of China .-History:Founded on October 31, 1971, CTS started off as a joint venture between the ROC's Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Education. At the time of its establishment, CTS was the only VHF-supported...
(CTS)), along with Taiwanese radio broadcasts.
TV translator frequencies
| Location | NHK General | NHK Educational | Ryukyu Broadcasting(RBC) | Okinawa Television Okinawa Television , also known as OTV, is a Japanese broadcast network affiliated with the FNN. Their headquarters are located in Okinawa Prefecture.-Headquarters:*1-2-20 Kumoji Naha-city, Okinawa 900-8588 Japan*Telephone Number:+81-98-863-2111-History:... (OTV) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yonaguni | 37 | 39 | 41 | 43 |
| Uchimichi | 49 | 51 | 53 | 55 |
Radio translator frequencies (MHz)
| Location | NHK1 | NHK2 | NHK3 | Ryukyu Broadcasting(RBCi) | Radio Okinawa(ROK) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yonaguni | 83.5 | 80.3 | 85.8 | 84.7 | 79.5 |