Ogasawara Subprefecture

The Ogasawara Subprefecture encompasses over 30 islands spread across 104 square kilometers of Pacific Ocean territory, 1000 kilometers south of central Tokyo.

The islands remained unpopulated until the 1830s when settlers from Hawaii, America, and Europe established the first permanent colony under British administration.

The local population maintains a distinct identity through Bonin English, a creole language that emerged from the interaction between early settlers and Japanese residents.

Access to the islands requires a 24-hour journey aboard the Ogasawara Maru vessel from Tokyo, with no air transportation currently available.

The subprefecture contains two inhabited islands, Chichijima and Hahajima, plus three remote islets that serve as critical monitoring stations for weather and marine research.

Location: Tokyo

Inception: 1926

Part of: Tokyo Metropolitan Government

Website: https://soumu.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/07ogasawara

GPS coordinates: 27.09566,142.19104

Latest update: March 7, 2025 03:41