Japan’s First Smart Island:Yonaguni-Jima（日本のスマートアイランド第1号：与那国島）

As we have previously discussed, there is increased interest in the smart city business in Japan as the concept of a smart city has grown significantly in recent years in North America and Europe. More recently in Japan there has been significant activity towards making a smart community in an unlikely place: Yonaguni Island located in Okinawa Prefecture. The government has a vision to make a smart island which will use IT in order to promote economic growth and improve the quality of life of its citizens.

Why is Yonaguni Island Becoming a Smart Island?

Yonaguni Island is the westernmost island in Japan and is located roughly 100km off the coast of Taiwan. The island has a population of roughly 1,700 people including a military garrison. Because of its remote location, the country has had several issues, and the local government of the island is trying to use IT technology in order to solve these problems. The main issues facing the island include the following:

Population growth – The island has one middle school and one elementary school, but young people are forced to move to other parts of Japan to attend high school, and these children often do not return to the island to live.

Lack of economic growth – The main industries of the island include tourism, agriculture, and fishing, but there are limited jobs available for people which contributes to population decline.

Aging population – The island has many senior citizens so there is a need for solutions to enable a better quality of life for its residents.