Hatoma

Excavations on the island have shown that until recent times, Hatoma residents subsisted largely on shellfish gathered in the surrounding shallow waters, and vegetables.

Unlike nearby Iriomote, Hatoma was not infested by malaria; hence its long-term settlement.

In 1968, because of the declining economic viability of skipjack tuna fishing (partly due to decreased consumption of katsuobushi due to the use of MSG in its stead), katsuobushi (dried and smoked skipjack tuna) processing facilities on the island were shut down, but the demographic decline started well before this.

When the population of its only school fell to just a handful, the Taketomi authorities attempted to shut it down.

This program, called Kaihin Ryūgaku (海浜留学) (foster homes), still survives to this day, and the school's doors remain open.