国際島嶼教育研究センター
Toppage
The Islands of Kagoshima
Edited by Kei KAWAI, Ryuta TERADA and Sueo KUWAHARA

If you would like to get this book, please contact to shimaken@cpi.kagoshima-u.ac.jp)


Preface

  Environmental problems such as global warming and species invasion cause global environmental change, which impacts the world’s ecosystems. Phenomena such as economic and social problems are rapidly disseminated as seen in the globalization of the world’s economies. Portions of the globe, which can be quickly and easily influenced by such phenomena, are islands. The islands of the Pacific demonstrate that rapid impact where rising sea levels lead to country-wide crises.
  An island is a small, simple model because islands are closed systems isolated by water in a limited natural and human environment. Because islands are so simple, a study of islands allows us to project the consequences of fluctuating and complicated phenomena onto the larger world. An island, therefore, is a site that can suggest a number of solutions to global problems.
  Kagoshima is an island prefecture with the second largest number of islands in Japan. The distance between north and south in Kagoshima is approximately 600 km. The islands in Kagoshima are primarily located in the sub-tropical zone. Kagoshima Prefecture has 605 islands, which include 28 residential islands. The Nansei Islands, which stretch southwest from Kagoshima to Taiwan, were separated from the Eurasian continent due to sea-level rise in the Neogene and then became islands. We could therefore say that these islands have already been influenced by environmental changes, such as sea level changes from global warming.
  Islands from Okinawa to Kagoshima were called the Island of the Way, and since ancient times, people and businesses have relocated to these islands. Because the Amami Islands are located in the middle of the Island of the Way, they have been influenced by Yamato culture from the north and Ryukyu culture from the south. These islands have, therefore, experienced another kind of globalization, migrating peoples, which are another important factor impacting the world. Conservation of nature is essential to preserve these beautiful and highly diversified natural environments and to protect the native animal species, such as the Amami black rabbit, which inhabits the Amami Islands. These islands are ideal sites for studying the impact of globalization and environmental problems, and generating discussions of possible solutions.
  The Kagoshima University Research Center for the Pacific Islands (KURCPI) published a book in 2001 entitled “Beyond Satsuma,” about the islands of Kagoshima (http://cpi.kagoshima-u.ac.jp/project/projectindex.html). Ten years have passed since that publication, and the economic and social system on the Kagoshima Islands has changed. New evidence in a number of research fields has been reported. The Project Planning Committee at KURCPI plans to publish this new book in English to generate global awareness about these remarkable islands.
  To conclude, we would like to thank Project Planning Committee member Sueo Kuwahara, Koji Aoyama, Satoru Nishimura, Ryuta Terada, Yositaka Sakamaki, Sumie Nakatani, Kei Kawai, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima local government, the public office on each island and local islanders for their support. This book is the results of a research grant funded by 2011-2012 JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Exploratory Research (No. 23651256 to KK).

Shinichi Noda
Director
Kagoshima University
Research Center for the Pacific Islands

 

Culture and Society
  • 1. Culture and Society in the Islands of Kagoshima
       Sueo Kuwahara (pp.2-4) Download (PDF)

  • 2. Research Issues in the Culture and Society of the Amami Islands
       Sueo Kuwahara (pp.5-13) Download (PDF)

  • 3. Amami Island Religion - Historical Dynamics of the Islanders’ Spirit -
       Megumi Takarabe and Akira Nishimura (pp.14-20) Download (PDF)

  • 4. The Educational Environment on a Remote Island in Kagoshima
       Akio Hatta (pp.21-28) Download (PDF)

  • 5. Cycads, Sustenance and Cultural Landscapes in the Amami Islands
       Philip Hayward and Sueo Kuwahara (pp.29-37) Download (PDF)

  • 6. Chili Peppers in the Islands of Kagoshima
       Sota Yamamoto (pp.38-42) Download (PDF)

  • 7. Health and Medical Issues and Longevity in the Amami Island Region
       Toshiro Takezaki, Hideshi Niimura and Kazuyo Kuwabara (pp.43-47) Download (PDF)

  • 8. Environmental Hygiene in the Islands of Kagoshima
       Shinichi Noda (pp.48-53) Download (PDF)

  • 9. A Guide for the Study of Kinship and Social Organization in the Amami Islands
       Sumie Nakatani (pp.54-58) Download (PDF)

  • Column 1: Bullfighting on Tokunoshima Island
       Takahiro Ozaki (pp.59-60) Download (PDF)

Industry
  • 10. Economy in the Islands of Kagoshima
       Satoru Nishimura (pp.62-66) Download (PDF)

  • 11.The Amami Islands Promotion and Development Projects,
  •   and Socioeconomic Transformation
       Takeichi Minamura (pp.67-72) Download (PDF)

  • 12. Remote Islands Development Area in Kagoshima Prefecture
       Shunsuke Nagashima (pp.73-77) Download (PDF)

  • 13. Tourism Around the Kagoshima Prefecture Islands
       Makoto Hagino (pp.78-83) Download (PDF)

  • 14. Agriculture in the Islands of Kagoshima
      -Special Reference to Fruit Production in the Yakushima and Amami Islands-

       Shigeto Tominaga (pp.84-91) Download (PDF)

  • 15. Significance of the Preservation of Crop Genetic Resources
      in the Islands of Kagoshima

       Michio Onjo (pp.92-94) Download (PDF)

  • 16. Sugarcane Cultivation in the Islands of Kagoshima
       Byoung-jae Park (pp.95-99) Download (PDF)

  • 17. The Effect and Problems of Attracting Aquaculture Capital
  •   -A Case Study of the Koshiki Islands-
       Takashi Torii (pp.100-106) Download (PDF)

  • 18. Renewable Energy and Lifestyle Change
  •   -An Example of Yakushima Island’s “Zero Emissions” Initiative-
       Hidetaka Ichikawa (pp.107-112) Download (PDF)

  • Column 2: Edible Seaweeds in the Island Life
       Ryuta Terada (pp.113-113) Download (PDF)

Nature
  • 19. Nature in the Islands of Kagoshima
       Kei Kawai (pp.116-117) Download (PDF)

  • 20. The Kuroshio -Its Physical Aspect and Roles in Kagoshima’s
  •   Nature and Culture-
       Hirohiko Nakamura (pp.118-127) Download (PDF)

  • 21. Volcanic Island Chain South of Kyushu, Japan
       Kisei Kinoshita and Masaya Sakamoto (pp.128-135) Download (PDF)

  • 22. Biodiversity in the Islands of Kagoshima
       Takahiro Okano (pp.136-145) Download (PDF)

  • 23. A Review of Insect Fauna Reports for the Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture
       Yositaka Sakamaki (pp.146-149) Download (PDF)

  • Column 3: Vertebrate Fossils from the Islands
       Hideo Nakaya (pp.150-150) Download (PDF)


    Appendix (pp.151-158) Download (PDF)

If you would like to get this book, please contact to shimaken@cpi.kagoshima-u.ac.jp)






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