Japan Passes Law to Strengthen Governance of Remote Island Economic Zones

Japan’s parliament on Wednesday approved a revision to a law aimed at strengthening the governance of the nation’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) by providing financial support to remote islands near its borders to prevent them from becoming uninhabited. Under the special law for remote populated islands, 77 small islands across nine prefectures will receive government incentives to maintain local communities. These incentives include reductions in air and sea transport fares, as well as assistance to stabilise the fishing industry. The move comes as the Japanese government seeks to establish a robust policy framework for managing its territorial waters and EEZ, which together span an area of 4.47 million square kilometres. The special law was previously set to expire in March 2027, but the revision extends its validity for another 10 years. Among the islands already listed for incentives are Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture, located about 50 kilometres from South Korea, and Tanegashima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture in the Pacific Ocean. The revision adds six new islands to the list: Teuri Island and Yagishiri Island in Hokkaido Prefecture; Tobishima Island in Yamagata Prefecture and Awashima Island in Niigata Prefecture; as well as Niijima Island and Shikine Island, which are part of the Tokyo Metropolitan area. This marks the first addition of islands since the law came into effect in 2017. The legislation mandates the central government to take responsibility for implementing measures to combat depopulation on remote islands. Through this revision, prefectural governments with border islands are also encouraged to take similar steps and to promote tourism sectors that can attract visitors to these islands.