A small island situated off the coast of Japan, which has the shape of a battleship and has been abandoned for many years, was a terrible place for its former inhabitants. Thousands of Korean and Chinese prisoners were forced to work on Hashima from 1930 until just after the end of World War II, and some never managed to escape. Known as “Gunkanjima” or “Battleship Island”, Hashima Island is the most well-known of Nagasaki’s 505 uninhabited islands. It served as a significant coal mine after it was bought by Mitsubishi in 1890. The miners were subjected to grueling conditions and up to 1,300 laborers passed away on the island due to various dangers. Following the war, many Japanese people moved to the island to work there themselves, but they had very little living space. The coal mines eventually dried up and were closed in 1974, leaving Hashima abandoned for many years. The deteriorating concrete buildings on the island, previously thought to be strong enough to withstand the frequent typhoons, began to collapse. Despite the dangers, some individuals were drawn to the island by its haunting history. In 2015, Hashima was included on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list and the government opened the site to the public while also reinforcing or replacing crumbling walls to discourage unauthorized visitors. Japan acknowledged the survivors of forced labor who inhabited the island, stating that there were “a large number of Koreans and others who were brought against their will and forced to work under harsh conditions in the 1940s” at Hashima Island.
The Bone-chilling Private Island with a City Built Inside a Battleship, where Residents Were Limited to 5ft of Living Space Each
