Japan Adds Six Islands to Border Support List for Settlement

Japan's parliament passed a bill on July 8 adding six islands to the list of inhabited border islands eligible for state support to promote settlement and tourism. The islands are Teuri and Yagishiri in Hokkaido, Tobishima in Yamagata Prefecture, Awashima in Niigata Prefecture, and Niijima and Shikinejima in Tokyo.

The revised special measures law requires prefectural governments to address depopulation on the listed islands.

It also promotes stay-based tourism and extends the law's duration from its original March 2027 expiration until March 2037. The measure is designed to maintain bases for managing territorial waters and exclusive economic zones. The six islands are now eligible for state aid under the updated framework.