Exploring “Borderlity” on the Ogasawara Islands

Abstract

This paper explores the “borderlity” on the Ogasawara Islands, also known as the Bonin Islands. A case study was conducted to examine why the inhabitants of the Ogasawara Islands are unaware that they reside within Japanese territory bordering neighboring countries, in particular the United States. Questionnaires were designed to inquire about local residents' perception on the “positionality” and “locality” of the Ogasawara Islands. “Positionality” refers to the geopolitical positioning of a place and “locality” refers to the attributes stemming from such geopolitical properties. Results indicate that the Ogasawara people's lack of awareness of “borderlity” is mainly due to a lack of historical connection to the Japanese society along with the fact that the US naval administration resides on the islands and the large separation by sea from both Japan and the US. Such positioning of the Ogasawara Islands results in the locality perceived by the inhabitants, i.e. being “neither Japanese nor American” or “nowhere,” and therefore an unawareness of “borderlity” exists.

Notes

“Positionality” indicates the geopolitical positioning of a place formed as the relation between neighboring regions and historical experience, and “locality” indicates the attribute stemming from geopolitical properties.

The data used for this paper were collected in 2008, from April 26 to May 6, on the islands of Chichijima and Hahajima. Questionnaires were distributed to all of the islands' households (one questionnaire per family) and were collected by workers who personally visited each household on an appointed day. The response rate was 43% for Chichijima (1,024 questionnaires, 437 responses) and 31.7% for Hahajima (240 questionnaires, 76 responses). Of the four inhabited islands, Marcus and Iwo-to are populated by temporary workers only. Due to their limited analytical value, therefore, these two islands were excluded from this study. Consequently, for the purposes of this study, the term “Ogasawara Islands” denotes only Chichijima and Hahajima.

Now used only in the Okinawa prefecture, the Amami Islands, and the Ogasawara Islands, the word naichi indicates the area comprising four of the main islands—Honsyu, Shikoku, Kyusyu, and Hokkaido. Originally, naichi indicated “the area where the Constitution of Imperial Japan is applicable,” and it was distinguished from gaichi, the area effectively controlled by Japan, but where the Constitution of Imperial Japan is not applicable (for example, Taiwan, Nanyou, the Korean Peninsula, the Kuwantung Territory of China, etc.).

Nanyou is a vague territorial concept dating from the era when Imperial Japan intended to expand its territory southward. At that time, Japan generally called the southern tropical area Nanyou. However, after World War I, this term was confined to the Mariana Islands, Caroline Islands, and Marshall Islands (which were delegated from the League of Nations and were called “the South Sea Islands”).

Nanyou Odori is the folkloric dance of the Ogasawara Islands and has been designated as a cultural property by Metropolitan Tokyo. This folkloric dance was introduced by the Ogasawara people who had left their island for temporary work in the South Sea Islands when these were under Japanese control.