This study seeks to explore the connections between a new lifestyle called “workation,” and regional revitalization. If conventional lifestyles ― including how people work and spend their spare time ― have changed as a result of modified values and technological advancements spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, and if these changes could bring about regional revitalization, examining such mechanisms is essential. Investigating workation as a process to solve problems faced by rural areas may enable us to discover solutions. This study focuses on workation in island regions where the decreasing birthrate, aging population, and depopulation is advancing at an observable rate. We believe this study will contribute to the regions’ academic development because previous research undertaken from a workation perspective is inadequate to address these problems in the island regions. Our observation proceeded as follows: First, we confirmed the workation concepts in the areas of government and finance and observed its present implementation while reviewing prior studies. Second, taking these matters in mind, we clarified the definition of workation （hypothesis formulation）. Third, we examined workation in Ojika-cho, Nagasaki, conducted field survey, and verified the definition based on actual conditions. During the process of field survey and hypothesis corroboration, we defined the way people from urban areas interacted in this region through workation. We also explored the methods this region utilized to attract urban residents. We reached the following conclusion based on the results we obtained: “Workation, which is becoming a phenomenon in rural areas where depopulation, decreasing birthrate, and aging population are apparent, can revitalize these areas by creating opportunities for individuals to live in these areas while working remotely.” A characteristic of workation in Ojika-cho is that local communities are not expecting innovation through workation. Conversely, they hope that teleworkers’ contributions will revitalize the town while the workers integrate into the town’s ordinary life. In Ojika-cho, the NPO Ojika Island Tourism Association mediates workation to connect teleworkers to the town’s revitalization. Workation cases in small island regions such as Ojika-cho are versatile. Therefore, we anticipate that this study will help to develop other island regions where problems of depopulation, birthrate decrease, and aging population exist.

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The novel coronavirus infection outbreak, which spread globally since the beginning of 2020, continues to significantly affect society up to the present time. We report the new coronavirus infection outbreak that occurred across the Tokyo islands and the measures adopted, such as vaccination, between April 2020 and March 2023. Local medical institutions and government agencies implemented various preventive measures even before the first year of the outbreak and its subsequent spread. Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, the main hospital on the island, initially accepted all infected patients including those with suspected infection, who were transferred via emergency air transport. Vaccines have been used in clinical practice since 2021, and inoculations have been performed after careful consideration of the location and characteristics of the islands, which has led to high vaccination rates. A remarkable upsurge in cases was observed in 2022; however, the situation did not worsen, and we were able to control the emergency situation. Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital maintained a close collaboration system for each stage of the pandemic, from hospitalizing suspected/infected patients to providing home care. We actively accepted a total of 83 emergency referrals over 3 years, and all patients （excluding a few deaths） were discharged in a good condition. Infectious disease emergencies are one of the natural disasters and have historically most frequently required countermeasures in island medical care. We have continued to add disease-specific emergency measures to our existing medical system that is operational over the years to overcome any unprecedented emergency secondary to the pandemic.

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