State of the Islands in the Past ｜ Ogasawara vill. English Site

Taisho/ Showa period

There was a coral boom around 1926, which made some people suddenly rich.

Farmhouse in the early Showa period
(harvesting pumpkins etc.)

Kitamura village in the early Showa period

Under U.S. occupation/ Reversion

The main street of the Omura district in Chichijima at the time of the reversion

Scene of a class at the Admiral Radford Elementary School in times under U.S. occupation

The Ogasawara Reversion Ceremony was held at the space in front of the Japanese/ U.S. military headquarters on June 26, 1968.

Present

Photo of modern day Motochi village in Hahajima

Scene of gathering the remains of those who died in battle. There are still 12,000 spirits of soldiers at rest on Iwo-to to this day, and people are praying for the complete recovery of their remains as soon as possible.

The Ogasawara Village Declaration as a Town of Peace

We, the villagers of Ogasawara surrounded by peaceful and rich nature, pray for people around the world to share peace with one another.

This wish comes from how Ogasawara came to be.

The forced evacuation that historically severed the culture built by our ancestors.

Iwo-to, the land where so many died honorably. Residents are still unpermitted to return to this day and are unable to gather the remains of those who died.

As residents of Ogasawara with such historical backgrounds, upon reaching 50 years after the war, we swear the renunciation of war and everlasting peace. We declare the Ogasawara Village to be a town of peace and that it fulfills its purpose in order to pass on this beautiful nature to the next generation.