How do 4,500 people become 250? The stark reality of life on Japan’s rapidly depopulating Gotō Islands

world cultures & travelanalysisThe Conversation: Arts + Culture (US)1950s · Gotō Islands, Japan

How do 4,500 people become 250? The stark reality of life on Japan’s rapidly depopulating Gotō Islands

the gist

The Goto Islands off western Japan have lost most of their population in just decades. On Hisaka island, around 4,500 people lived there in the 1950s, but fewer than 250 remain today. Abandoned houses are being reclaimed by forest, and wild deer and boar roam former villages. The islands are also home to descendants of Hidden Christians, who settled there from the late 1700s to practise outlawed Christianity under cover of Buddhist and Shinto practice. Four sites were named UNESCO World Heritage in 2018. Japan's birth rate has fallen for eight consecutive years, and the national government projects that many municipalities could disappear by 2050.

how it works

When young people leave for jobs in cities, the remaining population ages and births drop, which makes schools, shops and ferries harder to sustain. Services close, prompting more families to leave. Remote islands are especially exposed because boats are the main link to the mainland.

so what

The Goto Islands show what depopulation looks like at the local level, where schools close, shops disappear and communities end. Their history of mutual help between faiths also offers a counterpoint to decline.

The Conversation

Illustrative photo · User:Akanemoto, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

source: The Conversation: Arts + Culture (US) ↗

historyWikipediaclassic1336–1565 · Karnataka, India

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗