Hashima Island, Nagasaki, Japan, Abandoned Place #25

Hashima Island, Nagasaki, Japan. Abandoned Place #25

Hashima Island was once the most densely populated island in the world; now it’s completely empty. People became interested in the island after finding an underwater coal deposit directly under it. As time went on, tightly packed apartment complexes were constructed for the miners and laborers, providing its density record. But folks left as quickly as they came when the coal ran out. It’s now a rock and concrete ghost town in the middle of the ocean.
Area: 6 ha
Max length: 480 m
Max width: 160 m
Population: 0 (2016)
Location: Northeast Asia
What happened on Battleship Island?
As a world-class undersea mining operation, the island was once a symbol of Japan’s rapid industrialization. Bought by Mitsubishi in 1890, the previously uninhabited island was transformed with modern buildings and conveniences. These included early examples of concrete apartment blocks and electric lighting. By the 1950s, the population had swelled to as many as 5,000 people, attracted by solid wages and the unique mining culture. As coal power gave way to gasoline, coal prices fell, and many mines, including Hashima, were permanently closed. By 1975 the island was completely evacuated.
An abandoned Japanese island with a shady past
Hashima Island’s increase in popularity and status as a World Heritage Site, though, has not been without controversy. What many don’t know is that the island had a history of forced labor before and during World War II. The terrible conditions and unsafe environment led to untold suffering—along with as many as a thousand unrecorded deaths. Tour companies are often reluctant to talk about this, leading to suggestions that those in power are attempting to rewrite the island’s history in a more favorable light.