This paper will attempt to establish a “typical island model” and explore what issues are common for small islands from a primarily economic standpoint.
We are interested in the study of small islands located in the open sea and/or islands located afar from large land masses and have population level below 100 thousand.
First, we shall be picking out five factors as useful parameters for defining the circumstances common among small islands. They are: a) the natural environment, b) political aspects, c) economic issues, e) social, and f) cultural problems.
The small island problems will be boiled down to the following economic issues: Can the islands survive? And/or will deteriorating living standards of small islands societies unavoidable?
There are those in the small islands that are hoping to match the level of income flow that takes place in urban centers, but it is a goal nearly impossible to accomplish.
Growth oriented ideology, as represented by the desire to increase income levels, will merely contribute to the enhancement in the means of everyday life. It is important to be aware that satisfaction that arises from living a life is not based on material income levels (material wellbeing) per se, but instead it is dependent on psychic income levels (mental wellbeing) of the individual.
What is most salient toward solving the small island issues is a paradigm shift, a new perspective and outlook upon the circumstances at hand.

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The fundamental structure of an economic activity is ‘production→consumption→decomposition’. When an economy-based-on-recycling society is intended to realize the effective relation among industries, it is a subject how the waste discharged at the result of production and consumption activities give new added value systematically.
In the compost system treated in this paper, [purifying of sewage for agricultural use+making manure of a livestock excretion thing] are first performed at a compost factory. The livestock breeder who receives this first influencing acquires the effect of [processing of excretion+improvement in productivity of stock farming+rationalization of livestock management].
About ordinary farmers, [the production of organic crops by the organic farming+water for agricultural use by the organic fertilizer] become possible, and consequently it is connected with [environmental improvement (reduction of bad smell and polluted water)+spread of organic crops] for local residents.
As the whole environment, it becomes [purification of pollution by the stockbreeding+dissolution of the seashore and the river], and [a rise of the mitigation+construction of eco-town+cutback in environmental maintenance expenses] can be expected.

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This article redeems food self-sufficiency ratios, considers “food self-sufficiency ability” by originally calculating ratios of two islands, and criticizes an article by Ohtsuji.
These days “Food” has lots of problems in several realms. In such times, when we think about “rural areas and islands”, we cannot ignore their fields of foods. That is why they (especially islands) have little space and resources to yield them. The Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries releases food self-sufficiency ratios almost every year. It is said one of the barometers of the yields of foods. However, released figures have ambiguous points. So, this article redeems them and originally calculates the ratios about Tanegashima and Okinoerabujima. These islands have little “food-balance-ability” right now. That is because they product a few kinds of foods and much quantity of foods. This condition is especially unfavorable for islands and needs remedy in some ways.
It also criticizes an article by Ohtsuji that subjects “The aim of Japanese agricultural administration” using food self-sufficiency ratios by mistaken.

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The purpose of this paper is to suggest the destination of tourism in Yaku Island, or Yakushima, by considering the bundle of various eyes or gaze to the forests, Yaku-cedar or Yakusugi and other unique natural environment.
After World War II, the forest of Yakushima has been treated under the discussion of ideology dispute whether it should be developed or conserved for the islanders. Especially, from 1950s, large-scale logging using machinery such as chain saws and wire ropes was begun to supply the demand from around the country. The islanders mainly engaged in the logging operations as a worker. The industry was an important source of income for Yakushima people because of the fragile industrial situation in the island. However, at the same time, such operations certainly brought about deterioration of environment, especially damage of Yakusugi whose age was over one thousand years. Therefore, part of islanders, in 1970, established a society to conserve the natural environment of Yakushima whose name was Yakushima wo mamorukai as having conflicted with logging workers.
Historical eyes of the islanders to the forest moved from awe in their traditional belief to environmental conservation or preservation through economic imperative such as subsistence and capitalism. The islanders basically have turned their eyes upon the forest on spectrum of relationship between destructive lumbering and natural conservation. In that process, they had come to require ideal situation satisfying both economic and natural environmental demands in the context of mutual relationship between nature and human beings. Ecotourism has been recognized and expected by certain islanders as one of methods to realize that since 1990s. However, such tourism is only conducted by immigrants and external capitals and thus arouses complaint from indiginous islanders who are not involved with the industry. Simultaneously, the context of tourism makes clear of difference of eyes to the forest between indiginous people and outlanders such as immigrants and tourists.
By analyzing the meanings of various internal and external eyes to the forests and other natural environment through the cultural concepts such as “Kankyobunka-mura, ” “kankobunka or tourism culture, ” and “kankoshizen or tourism nature, ” I provide a basic stand for the development in Yakushima by stressing a new type of tourism which averts tourists' eyes from the ecological environment including Natural Heritage to the Islanders' lifestyle.

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The purpose of this paper is to verify maintenance of the life route in Amami-Islands to which depopulation and aging go, and is to propose a future transportation theory for autonomous and sustainability. I paid attention to regional economy, especially Amami-Island, because Transport demand depend on trip which is happened by it's economic activity in there. First, I studied social transport change, decentralization of authority and source of revenue.
Following, I studied Amami-Islands shipping transport for Life security. I described so telling management that it's company is almost taken a grant. Intra Amami-Islands shipping transport is more telling than inter one. There are water taxies of intra one without life security. I focused it's efficiency run. I think Amami sipping is serving to keep autonomous society, because it connects Amami-Islands with Kagoshima while air transport connecting Amami with Tokyo.
Passenger shipping Liner is heavy load for revenue, but it contributes to enhance to local autonomy. Because it keeps Amami-Islands shipping transport, especially Life security routs continuing, and it is increasing demand I discussed how to Amami-Islands active.
From a viewpoint of life security, Islands shipping transport study gives much suggestion rather than main lands one. I want to continue studying of the transport policy of the period of maturity, especially islands shipping transport for autonomous and sustainability.

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Japan is an “islands nation”, consisting of 6, 852 islands by the definition of the Japanese government. These islands, particularly small and remote from the mainland, had suffered severe depopulation after World War II. In addition, economic gap between the mainland and these remote islands have so expanded during the Japanese high economic growth, which began in late 1950s. So the government, for the purpose of reducing the gap, passed the “Remote Islands Developing Act” in 1953, and have made financial support to the islands revising the Act for five times. This must have in fact achieved some success, but small and remote islands in Japan still have been one of less developed areas.
In this paper, we should examine the case of a remote island in Okinawa, Hamahiga-jima, where a fixed link to the mainland Okinawa-Honto accomplished in 1997, and named Hamahiga-Ohashi. The bridge was aimed to build for the development of Hamahiga-jima.
Discussion here is made about the effect of the bridge for the inhabitants in relation to socioeconomic changes in the island after the bridge opened. And it is true that, although there are some problems remained, traffic facilities have much ameliorated. But, on the other hand, traditional society of the island —which include thick social relations between the inhabitants and diversified livelihood that depend on the surrounding sea— has notably turned down. It is not so clear that to which extent this turn-down relates to the opening of the bridge, but we can appreciate that the original aim of the fixed link has not realised in Hamahiga-jima.

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