Hashima Island

Lore & Background

Coal was discovered on Hashima around 1810, and the island was continuously inhabited from 1887 to 1974 as a seabed coal mining facility. Mitsubishi Goshi Kaisha bought the island in 1890 and began extracting coal from undersea mines, while seawalls and land reclamation tripled the island's size. Four main mine-shafts reaching up to a kilometre deep were built, one connecting to neighbouring Nakano Island. In 1916, the company built Japan's first large reinforced concrete building, a 7-floor miner's apartment block, to protect against typhoons. Over the next 55 years, more buildings were constructed, including a school, hospital, cinema, and swimming pool.

Beginning in the 1930s and until the end of World War II, conscripted Korean civilians and Chinese prisoners of war worked under harsh conditions as forced labourers at the Mitsubishi facility. Estimates of deaths on the island vary: one estimate says 137 died; another says about 1,300. The island's population peaked at 5,259 in 1959, with a residential density of 1,391 per hectare. As petroleum replaced coal in the 1960s, mines shut down, and Mitsubishi closed the mine in January 1974. All residents departed by 20 April 1974, leaving the island abandoned for three decades.

Reader's Guide

Hashima Island's significance lies in its dual legacy: it is both a symbol of Japan's rapid industrialization and a site of forced labour during wartime. The island's concrete buildings, undisturbed by maintenance, offer a rare glimpse into mid-20th-century mining communities. After decades of abandonment, interest re-emerged in the 2000s, leading to the restoration of some collapsed exterior walls and the reopening of a small portion to tourists on 22 April 2009. In July 2015, the island's coal mine was approved as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution, following a compromise between Japan and South Korea. Japan committed to acknowledging the forced labour history, but other UNESCO committee members agreed that Japan did not fulfill its obligations, and mediation efforts continue. The island remains largely off-limits, with over 95% closed to visitors due to safety concerns.

Did You Know?

• The island's nickname 'Gunkanjima' comes from its resemblance to the Japanese battleship Tosa.
• In 1916, the island's first large reinforced concrete building was built to protect against typhoons.
• The island's population density in 1959 was 835 people per hectare, one of the highest ever recorded.
• Travel to Hashima was reopened on 22 April 2009 after 35 years of closure.