It is located within the Izu Islands and is 200km away from Mainland Japan.

Additionally, Hachijō includes the four southernmost Izu Islands, which are uninhabited.

These islands currently do not belong to any municipality; both Hachijō and Aogashima claim administrative rights.

The village of Aogashima is the least populated municipality in all of Japan, with only 169 residents[1] The Hachijō language, also called Shima Kotoba, is spoken exclusively on the two main islands.

It is an endangered language, with 0 native speakers being children or young adults.