| Yonaguni | |||||
| Native Name Lang: | ja | ||||
| Settlement Type: | Town | ||||
| Other Name: | Dunan | ||||
| Pushpin Map: | Japan | ||||
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Japan | ||||
| Coordinates: | 24.4681°N 123.0047°W | ||||
| Subdivision Type: | Country | ||||
| Subdivision Name: | Japan | ||||
| Subdivision Type1: | Region | ||||
| Subdivision Name1: | Kyushu (Okinawa) | ||||
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture | ||||
| Subdivision Name2: | Okinawa Prefecture | ||||
| Subdivision Type3: | District | ||||
| Subdivision Name3: | Yaeyama | ||||
| Leader Title: | Mayor | ||||
| Leader Name: | Shukichi Hokama | ||||
| Leader Title1: | Vice Mayor | ||||
| Unit Pref: | Metric | ||||
| Area Total Km2: | 28.95 | ||||
| Population Total: | 2,048 | ||||
| Population As Of: | October 1, 2016 | ||||
| Population Density Km2: | 58.2 | ||||
| Timezone1: | JST | ||||
| Utc Offset1: | +09:00 | ||||
| Blank Name Sec1: | City hall address | ||||
| Blank Info Sec1: | 129 Aza-Yonaguni, Yonaguni-chō, Yaeyama-gun, Okinawa-ken 907-1801 | ||||
| Blank Name Sec2: | Climate | ||||
| Blank Info Sec2: | Af | ||||
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is a town located entirely on Yonaguni Island in Yaeyama District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is the westernmost municipality in Japan, and is known for billfish fishing and as a diving spot. In 1987, divers discovered the Yonaguni Monument, a rock formation that some believe may be man-made.
It is also home to two Ryūkyūan writing systems, pictographic "kaida-di" (also used on Ishigaki and Taketomi islands where it is called "kaida-ji") and the symbols used to indicate family names, "dāhan" (also used on Ishigaki Island where they are called "yāban").
Presently, the oldest confirmed ruins are the ruins in Tuguru Beach. Due to the southern style stone tools found, it is thought that a culture influenced by Southeast Asia existed here at one time.
After this point, the history of the island of Yonaguni is unclear, but in the Gusuku Era, settlements were formed on the top of the plateau. The Shima Nakamura Ruins are one example, and it is known for being the birth village of the famous woman chief, San’ai Isoba.
From the time of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, Yonaguni prospered as a commerce center with Taiwan. Due to World War II, until it was placed under control of the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands, the number of people involved in smuggling surged in the area. The population in 1947 had reached 12,000, but although Yonaguni became incorporated as a town, a crackdown on smuggling led to a sharp decrease in the population.[1]
Ishigaki and the surrounding towns and cities are discussing a merger, with the exception of Yonaguni which abstained, cutting the members of parliament from 12 in half, down to 6.
Kubura Harbour
Sonai Harbour
(Rental cars are available)
Because there are no high schools on the island, students entering high school must attend on the Okinawa mainland or on the island of Ishigaki, and 100% of junior-high schoolers continue on to high school.[2]
See main article: Yonaguni Monument.
Television broadcasts consist of translator stations in Yonaguni and Uchimichi and radio broadcasts are established from the Yonaguni television translator station. It is also the only place in Japan where all three NHK Radio stations are on the FM band. In addition, Yonaguni receives Taiwanese television broadcasts (Taiwan Television (TTV), China Television (CTV), and Chinese Television System (CTS) by using the European DVB-T system), along with Taiwanese radio broadcasts.
| Location | NHK General TV | NHK Educational TV | Ryukyu Broadcasting Corporation (RBC) | Okinawa Television (OTV) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yonaguni | 37 | 39 | 41 | 43 | |
| Uchimichi | 49 | 51 | 53 | 55 |
Through the cell towers on the east side of Taiwan that are geographically close to Yonaguni, it is possible depending on the weather to receive GSM phone service on Taiwanese phones from Irizaki (and it is possible that GSM phones from international carriers could use the service while roaming).