Could manga be the unlikely saviour of this dying Japanese island?

On a tiny island in western Japan where just 11 residents remain, a bold experiment is under way to stave off extinction – by transforming the remote outpost into a global hub for manga.

In April, the 1.34 sq km (0.5 square-mile) island of Takaikamishima opened a dedicated manga school in hopes of reviving its fortunes through one of Japan’s most iconic cultural exports.

Twenty-three elementary and junior high school students from elsewhere in the Kamijima municipality – which includes Takaikamishima – have already enrolled.

The initiative marks the culmination of an eight-year effort led by two elderly manga enthusiasts determined to give the depopulated island a second life.

Sadamu Kimura, 74, one of the island’s few remaining residents, joined forces with Osamu Hasebe, a 76-year-old medical corporation executive from Yamanashi prefecture, to bring the project to life.

  

​Read More