Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
ABC News
ABC News
National
North Asia correspondent James Oaten, Lisa McGregor and Yumi Asada in Ishigaki, Japan

On a sleepy tourist island in Japan's remote south-west, locals fear a dark period of history is repeating

Setsuko and the Society of Grannies to Protect Life and Livelihood protest near the military base on Ishigaki island, Japan. (Foreign Correspondent: Yumi Asada)

On an island paradise in Japan’s remote south-west, a new military base is opening a rift in a small community still haunted by war.

Setsuko Yamazato was seven years old when her family left their home to live in the jungle. They joined the other villagers, some with food on their backs and crying children in their arms, and filed into the green hills of Ishigaki, an island at the south-west end of the Japanese archipelago. Many never returned.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.