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Bonin Islands

2025-06-18T00:45:29Z

103.43.78.8: /* Fictional references */

{{Short description|Japanese archipelago in the North Pacific Ocean}}
{{Redirect|Bonin}}
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| image = Ogasawara islands.png
| image_upright = 1.2
| caption = The Bonin Islands or the Ogasawara Islands comprises three main island groups{{mdash}}[[Chichijima]], [[Hahajima]], and [[Mukojima Islands|Mukojima]]{{mdash}}located SSE of Tokyo. Administratively, they also include the nearby [[Volcano Islands]] (including [[Iwo Jima]]).
| official_name = Ogasawara Islands
| location = [[Japan]]
| includes = Islands, reefs, and marine areas
| criteria = {{UNESCO WHS type|(ix)}}(ix)
| ID = 1362
| coordinates = {{Coord|27|43|6|N|142|5|59|E|format=dms}}
| year = 2011
| area = {{convert|7,939|ha|sqmi|abbr=on}}
| locmapin = Oceania
| map_caption = Location of the Bonin Islands in Oceania
}}

The '''Bonin Islands''', also known as the {{nihongo|'''Ogasawara Islands'''|小笠原諸島}}, is a [[list of islands of Japan|Japanese archipelago]] of over 30 subtropical and [[Island#Tropical islands|tropical islands]] located around {{convert|1000|km|mi|lk=out|sp=us}} SSE of [[Tokyo]] and {{convert|1000|mi|km|sp=us|order=flip}} northwest of [[Guam]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/07/12/national/history/ogasawara-islands-remote-witnesses-front-lines-japanese-history/|title=Ogasawara Islands: Remote witnesses on the front lines of Japanese history|last=Yoshida|first=Reiji|date=2018-07-12|work=The Japan Times Online|access-date=2019-09-25|issn=0447-5763}}</ref><ref name=Coppock /> The group as a whole has a total area of {{convert|84|km2|sp=us}} but only two of the islands are permanently inhabited, [[Chichijima]] and [[Hahajima]]. Together, their population was 2,560 as of 2021. Administratively, [[Tokyo Metropolitan Government|Tokyo]]'s [[Ogasawara Subprefecture]] also includes the settlements on the [[Volcano Islands]] and the [[Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force|Self-Defense Force]] post on [[Iwo Jima]]. The seat of government is Chichijima.

Because of the Bonins' isolation, many of their animals and plants have undergone unique evolutionary processes. It has been called "the [[Galápagos Islands|Galápagos]] of the [[Orient]]" and was named a natural [[World Heritage Site]] in 2011. When first reached during the [[early modern period]], the islands were entirely uninhabited. Subsequent research has found evidence of some prehistoric habitation by [[Micronesians]]. Upon their repeated rediscoveries, the islands were largely ignored by the [[Spanish Empire|Spanish]], [[Dutch Empire|Dutch]], and [[sakoku|isolationist]] [[Edo period|Japanese]] until finally being claimed by a passing [[British Empire|British]] captain in 1827. [[United States|American]], [[Europe]]an, and [[Native Hawaiians|Hawaiian]] colonists arrived from the [[Kingdom of Hawaii]] in 1830. Subsequently, [[Meiji Restoration|Meiji Japan]] successfully colonized and reclaimed the islands in 1875, but [[Ōbeikei Islanders|the original multicultural community]] continued up to [[World War II]], when most islanders were forcibly relocated to [[Honshu]]. Following [[surrender of Japan|Japan's defeat]], the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] occupied the island, bulldozing existing Japanese homes and restricting resettlement until full control of the Bonins was returned to Japan in 1968. Ethnically, the island is now majority [[Japanese people|Japanese]] but remains unusually diverse, which is reflected in the local Creole language known as [[Bonin English]]. Improved transportation has made agriculture more profitable and encouraged tourism, but the development required for an airport remains a contentious local issue.

{{Anchor|Etymology|Toponymy|Name}}

==Names==
The name ''Bonin'' comes from an 1817 article in the [[Bourbon Restoration in France|French]] {{lang|fr|[[Journal des sçavans|Journal des Savans]]}} by [[Jean-Pierre Abel-Rémusat]] in which{{mdash}}among various other misunderstandings of [[Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu|his source material]]{{sfnp|Kublin|1953|p=35}}{{mdash}}he misread a description of the islands as uninhabited ({{lang|ja|[[:wikt:無人島#Japanese|無人嶋]]}}, "[[desert island]][s]") for their actual name, used the wrong reading of the [[kanji|characters]] (''buninshima'' for ''mujintō''), and then transcribed the resulting reading incorrectly into [[French language|French]] as {{lang|fr|Bo-nin Sima}},{{sfnp|Rémusat|1817|p=390}}{{sfnp|Kublin|1953|p=36}} which eventually lost its original [[hyphen]].

The name ''Ogasawara'' ({{lang|ja|{{linktext|小笠原}}}}; {{IPA|ja|ogasawaɾa}}) literally means "little [[Asian conical hat|hat-shaped]] field(s)" but is used for the islands in honor of [[Ogasawara Sadayori]] ({{lang|ja|小笠原 {{linktext|貞|頼}}}}), a supposed ancestor of the [[rōnin|ronin]] [[Ogasawara Sadatō]] ({{lang|ja|小笠原 {{linktext|貞|任}}}}) [[#History|fictitiously credited]] with the discovery of the chain. Within [[Japanese language|Japanese]], the Bonins proper are known as the "Ogasawara Islands" or "Group" ({{lang|ja|小笠原{{linktext|群島}}}}, ''Ogasawara-guntō'') while the "Ogasawara Islands" or "Archipelago" ({{lang|ja|小笠原{{linktext|諸島}}}}, ''Ogasawara-shotō'') is a wider term including the other islands of the [[Ogasawara, Tokyo|Ogasawara Municipality]] ({{lang|ja|小笠原{{linktext|村}}}}, ''Ogasawara-mura'') and its coterminous [[Ogasawara Subprefecture]] ({{lang|ja|小笠原{{linktext|支庁}}}}, ''Ogasawara-shichō''){{mdash}}namely, the [[Volcano Islands]] and three remote islands of [[Nishinoshima (Ogasawara)|Nishinoshima]], [[Minamitorishima]], and [[Okinotorishima]]. These islands are parts of Japan's [[Nanpō Islands]].

The islands were also formerly known to Europeans as the '''Archbishop Islands''' ({{langx|es|Islas del Arzobispo}}), probably in honor of [[Pedro Moya de Contreras]], [[archbishop of Mexico|archbishop]] of [[Archdiocese of Mexico|Mexico]] and [[viceroy of New Spain|viceroy]] of [[New Spain]], who sent an expedition to the area in the late 16th century.<ref name="Moriarty & Roberts"/>

==History==

===Prehistory===
At the end of the 20th century, prehistoric tools and carved stones were discovered on [[North Iwo Jima]] and [[Chichijima]], establishing that the islands were previously home to at least some members of an unknown [[Micronesian people]].<ref name="history">{{citation |url=http://www.iwojima.jp/ogasa2.html |title=小笠原・火山(硫黄)列島の歴史 |lang=ja |last= |first= |date= |publisher= |location= }}.</ref>

===Early modern period===
The first recorded visit by Europeans to the islands happened on 2 October 1543, when the Spanish explorer [[Bernardo de la Torre]] on the ''San Juan'' sighted [[Haha-jima]], which he charted as ''Forfana''.{{sfnp|Welsch|2004}} The islands were uninhabited at that time. Japanese discovery of the islands occurred in ''[[Kanbun (era)|Kanbun]]'' 10 (1670) and was followed by a shogunate expedition in ''[[Enpō]]'' 3 (1675).<ref>Tanaka, Hiroyuki (1993). [http://japanese.human.metro-u.ac.jp/kokubun/bonins/04tanaka.htm "''Edo Jidai ni okeru Nihonjin no Mujin Tou (Ogasawara Tou) ni tai-suru Ninshiki''" ("The Ogasawara Islands in Tokugawa Japan").] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071225144611/http://japanese.human.metro-u.ac.jp/kokubun/bonins/04tanaka.htm |date=2007-12-25 }} ''Kaiji Shi Kenkyuu''(''Journal of the Maritime History''). No. 50, June, 1993.</ref> The islands were then referred to as {{nihongo|Bunin jima|無人島|''Buninjima''}}, literally "the [[Desert island|uninhabited islands]]". Shimaya Ichizaemon, the explorer at the order of the shogunate, inventoried several species of trees and birds, but after his expedition, the shogunate abandoned any plans to develop the remote islands.{{sfnp|Rüegg|2017}}

The first published description of the islands in the West was brought to Europe by [[Isaac Titsingh]] in 1796. His small library of Japanese books included {{Nihongo|''[[Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu]]''|三国通覧図説|''An Illustrated Description of Three Countries''}} by [[Hayashi Shihei]].<ref>WorldCat, [http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Sangoku+Ts%C5%ABran+Zusetsu&qt=results_page ''Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu'']; alternate [[romaji]] [http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Sankoku+Ts%C5%ABran+Zusetsu&qt=results_page ''Sankoku Tsūran Zusetsu'']</ref> This book, which was published in Japan in 1785,<ref>Cullen, Louis M. (2003). {{Google books|ycY_85OInSoC|''A History of Japan, 1582–1941: Internal and External Worlds'', p. 137.|page=137}}</ref> briefly described the [[Ogasawara Islands]].<ref>Morris-Suzuki, Tessa. (1998). {{Google books|Zu_ql5zHQRUC|''Re-inventing Japan: Time, Space, Nation'', p. 24.|page=24}}</ref>{{sfnp|Kublin|1953}}

These groups were collectively called the Archbishop Islands in Spanish sources of the 18th–19th century, most likely due to an expedition organized by [[Pedro Moya de Contreras]], [[Archbishop of Mexico|archbishop]] of [[archdiocese of Mexico|Mexico]] and [[Viceroy of New Spain|viceroy]] of [[New Spain]], to explore the northern Pacific and the islands of Japan. Its main objective was to find the long sought but legendary islands of [[Anson Archipelago|''Rica de Oro'' ("Rich in Gold"), ''Rica de Plata'' ("Rich in Silver"), and the ''Islas del Armenio'' ("Islands of the Armenian")]]. After several years of planning and frustrated initial attempts, the expedition finally set sail on 12 July 1587, commanded by [[Pedro de Unamuno]]. Even if it did revisit the [[Daitō Islands]], already charted by [[Bernardo de la Torre]] in 1543, the expedition could not find the wanted islands after searching the positions where they were charted in contemporary references.<ref name="Moriarty & Roberts">{{cite journal|author1=James R. Moriarty III|author2=William R. Roberts|title=Between Cipango and Quivira: The legends of Rica de Oro y Rica de Plata and the Islas del Armenio|journal=Southern California Quarterly|date=1975|volume=57|issue=3|page=229}}</ref> Japanese maps at the time seem to have been rather inaccurate, to the point that some contemporaries considered them to have been deliberately misleading{{sfnp|Beechey|1831|pp=[https://archive.org/details/narrativeavoyag02beecgoog/page/n263 237–240]}} to discourage [[colonization]] attempts by foreign nations. [[Frederick William Beechey]] used the Spanish name as late as 1831, believing that the Japanese "Boninsima" were entirely different islands.{{sfnp|Rein|1884|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=BrzteY1ur2kC&dq=ogasawara&pg=PT554 533-534]}}

===19th century===
On 12 September 1824, American Captain James Coffin in the [[whaler]] {{ship||Transit|1817 ship|2}} first visited the southern group of islands (''Coffin Islands''). He revisited the archipelago in 1825, but this time, he arrived at the middle group of islands (''Beechey Group'').{{sfnp|Chapman|2016|p=27}}

In September 1825, the British whaling ship ''Supply'' landed in the southern Bailey Group of islands. In 1826, another British whaler, [[HMS Tyne (1814)|''William'']], arrived at Beechey Island.{{sfnp|Chapman|2016|p=27}} Whaling ships called regularly for water and turtles before continuing their voyages.<ref>''The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge, Vol.II,'', (1847) London, Charles Knight, p.205.</ref>

In 1827, Captain F. W. Beechey of {{HMS|Blossom|1806|6}} reached the island chain and claimed them as a British possession.{{sfnp|Beechey|1831}} A [[copper sheathing|copper plate]] was removed from ''Blossom''{{'}}s hull and left on a beach as a marker of the claim:{{Blockquote|text="HBM Ship ''Blossom'' Capt F. W. Beechey took possession of this Group of Islands in the Name of and on the behalf of His Britannic Majesty George the IV on the 14th June 1827."<ref>{{cite journal| last =Oldman | first =W. O. | title =Historical Relic | journal =The Journal of the Polynesian Society | volume =53 | issue =4 | pages =211 | date =December 1944 | jstor =20702990 }}</ref>}}

He also named the island of Chichijima "Peel" after then British Home Secretary Sir [[Robert Peel]].<ref name=Coppock /> Beechey was also surprised to find two men living on the islands. They remained on the islands after the ''William'' left the year before in 1826. The men were Wittrein and Petersen.{{sfnp|Chapman|2016|p=27}}

In 1830, with the help of the British Consul to the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), Richard Charlton, Richard Millichamp, and Matteo Mazzaro sailed to the islands.{{sfnp|Chapman|2016|p=27}} The first permanent colony was made up of [[Nathaniel Savory]] of [[Bradford, Massachusetts]], America, Richard Millichamp of [[Devon]], England; Matteo Mazzaro of Ragusa/[[Dubrovnik]], [[Austrian Empire]] (now in [[Croatia]]); Alden B. Chapin and Nathaniel Savory of [[Boston]]; Carl Johnsen of [[Copenhagen]]; as well as seven unnamed men and 13 women from the [[Kingdom of Hawaii]].<ref>Notes on the Bonin Islands, Michael Quin, ''Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London'', Vol. 26, (1856), pp. 232–235, Blackwell Publishing on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers)</ref> They found the climate suitable for farming and the raising of livestock. Rum was made from cane sugar, and bordellos were opened, sometimes staffed by women kidnapped from other island chains. Whalers and other ships that could not find another friendly port in Japan often visited the Bonins for provision and recreation.<ref>Coppock, p. 61</ref>

Two years later, the [[Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland#Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland|Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland]] published a posthumous, abridged publication of Titsingh's French translation of ''Sankoku Tsūran Zusetsu''.{{sfnp|Klaproth|1832|p=256}}

Further settlers arrived in 1846 aboard the whaling ship ''Howard''. They established themselves initially in South Island. One of them, a woman from the Caroline Islands named Hypa, died in 1897 at the age of about 112, after being baptized on her deathbed.{{sfnp|King|1898}}

Commodore [[Matthew C. Perry]] of the [[United States Navy]] visited the islands in 1853 and bought a property at Port Lloyd from Savory for $50. The US "[[Colony of Peel Island]]" (Chichijima) was created, and Savory was appointed governor.

[[File:Ogasawara Islands in the Pre-war Showa era.JPG|thumb|left|A village in the Bonins during the early [[Shōwa period]]]]
In January 1862 ([[Bunkyū]] 1), the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] of Japan claimed the islands in a short-lived colonial enterprise. The shogunal steamboat ''[[Kanrin Maru]]'' was dispatched to the islands with a crew of cartographers, physicians, and prominent bureaucrats. The islands were officially renamed Ogasawara, referring to the legendary Japanese discoverer from the late 16th century. This tentative colonization, however, did not last for long. In the summer of 1863, under foreign pressure, the shogunate ordered the evacuation of the islands.{{sfnp|Rüegg|2017}}

In 1875, the Japanese Meiji government reclaimed the islands.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=sr-yzZK-WRgC&pg=PA175 Language and Citizenship in Japan, edited by Nanette Gottlieb, Chapter 10, p. 176].</ref> The Japanese names of each island were resolved, and 38 settlers from [[Hachijojima]] were sent the following year. In 1876, the islands were put under the direct control of the [[Home Ministry (Japan)|Home Ministry]]. Further, foreign settlements were banned, and the government assisted settlers who wished to relocate from mainland Japan. The islands' forests were also reduced to use the land for sugar cane production. Colonists largely segregated themselves in two different villages, one for the Americans and the other for the Japanese.<ref name=Coppock /> Islanders of European and US ancestry were eventually granted Japanese nationality in 1882. [[Jack London]] visited the islands in 1893 and published an account of his sojourn.<ref name=Coppock>{{cite magazine |last=Coppock |first=Mike |date=21 January 2021 |title=American Outpost at Japan's Front Door |url=https://www.historynet.com/american-outpost-at-japans-front-door/ |magazine=American History |location=Arlington, Virginia |publisher=HistoryNet LLC}}</ref>

===20th century===
[[Lionel Cholmondeley]] compiled a history of the islands over several years, publishing it in 1915.{{sfnp|Cholmondeley|1915}}

In 1917, 60–70 island people claimed ancestry among the 19th-century English-speaking settlers; however, in 1941, no Bonin people would acknowledge descent from these early colonists.<ref>''National Geographic'', October 1944, pp. 387–388, 404.</ref> The current residents include some who claim to be related to Nathaniel Savory.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ogasawara-channel.com/contents/mouriso.htm|title=父島の宿|access-date=2007-09-05}}</ref> In the winter of 1920–1921, [[Russian Futurism|Russian Futurist]] painter [[David Burliuk]] lived in the Bonin Islands and painted several landscapes of the islands.<ref>{{cite book |last=Société Anonyme |author-link=Société anonyme |title=Société Anonyme (the First Museum of Modern Art, 1920–1944): Monographs |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pEJOAAAAYAAJ |access-date=2013-05-20 |year=1972 |publisher=Arno Press |isbn=978-0-405-00772-9 |page=87}}</ref>

[[File:Bonin Island well 1941.jpg|thumb|right|A man at a well, alongside buildings with the thatched roofs, weather-beaten unpainted sides and paper partitions and windows, characteristic of the islands before World War II]]
The islanders were relegated to an insignificant status until the early [[Shōwa period]]. After Japan attacked the American naval base at [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|Pearl Harbor]], English was banned on the Bonins, and Americans had to take on Japanese names.<ref name=Coppock /> As fighting crept closer to Japan during the later stage of [[World War II|<ins>World War II</ins>]], most inhabitants were forcibly evacuated to the mainland. There was a Japanese military base on Chichijima run by a Major {{nihongo|[[Sueo Matoba]]|的場末男|Matoba Sueo}}, who was known for engaging in [[Human cannibalism|cannibalism]] and other heinous acts on prisoners of war.{{sfnp|Welch|2002}} The [[torpedo bomber]] of later American President [[George H. W. Bush]] crashed in the ocean near Chichijima. He ended up getting rescued by [[USS Finback (SS-230)|USS Finback]] and becoming the only one to survive ultimately.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0312/20/cp.00.html |title=Story of George H. W. Bush World War II Experience |newspaper= [[CNN]]|date=December 20, 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=George Herbert Walker Bush |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/biographies-list/bios-b/bush-george-h-w.html |website=Naval History and Heritage Command |publisher=United States Department of the Navy |date=19 August 2019}}</ref> Eight other airmen downed near the islands were later [[Chichijima incident|executed and cannibalized]] by the Japanese soldiers.<ref name=Coppock/> After the war, Lieutenant General [[Yoshio Tachibana|Tachibana]], Major Matoba, and Captain Yoshii were found guilty and hanged.{{sfnp|Welch|2002}}<ref name="yamashita6">{{cite book |url=http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/WCC/yamashita6.htm |title=Case No. 21 Trial Of General Tomoyuki Yamashita[,] United States Military Commission, Manila, (8 October–7 December 1945), and the Supreme Court Of The United States (Judgments Delivered On 4 February 1946). Part VI |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061208093731/http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/WCC/yamashita6.htm |archive-date=December 8, 2006 |access-date=December 18, 2006}}</ref> The [[Battle of Iwo Jima]] in 1945, one of the fiercest battles of World War II, was fought on a garrison island in this region of the Pacific.<ref>Nicol, C. W., "[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fe20110807cw.html "The far-out Ogasawaras]", {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120720111510/http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fe20110807cw.html |date=2012-07-20 }} ''[[Japan Times]]'', 7 August 2011, p. 10.</ref>

Following [[Surrender of Japan|Japan's surrender]], the islands were controlled by the [[United States Navy]] for the next 23 years, which the Westerners referred to as "Navy Time." All residents except those [[Ōbeikei|descended from the original settlers]] (the Ōbeikei Islanders) and/or related to them by marriage were expelled,<ref>[https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/1794/12/bradshawsmall.pdf J. Bradshaw, "Review of English on the Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands"],''Language Documentation and Conservation'' v2, n1 (June 2008), pp. 176–8</ref> while pre-war inhabitants of [[White American]] or [[White people|European]], [[Micronesia]]n or [[Polynesians|Polynesian]] ancestry were allowed to return.<ref>Trumbull, Robert. [https://www.nytimes.com/1956/03/11/archives/bonin-islanders-seek-us-tie-but-remain-international-pawns.html?sq=ogasawara&scp=51&st=p "Bonin Islanders Seek U.S. Tie But Remain International Pawns; Descendants of Americans Ask Citizenship in Vain—Fight Return of Japanese,"] ''New York Times.'' March 11, 1956.</ref> Vacant properties of exiled Japanese were bulldozed as part of the Navy's management of nuclear weapons on Chichijima. In 1956, the residents petitioned for American annexation of the islands but received no response. In 1968, the United States government returned the Bonins to Japanese control. The Ōbeikei could either become Japanese nationals or receive American citizenship and repatriate to the United States. The majority remained in the islands as Japanese citizens. Initially, 600 Japanese relocated to the islands, growing to about 2,000 by the end of the 20th century.<ref name=Coppock />

===21st century===
The Bonins were named a natural [[World Heritage Site]] on 24 June 2011.<ref name="world heritage">{{cite web|last=Japan Times|author-link=Japan Times|title=Ogasawara Islands Join World Heritage family|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110626a5.html|access-date=26 June 2011}}</ref>

==Economy==
Historically, the Bonin Islands consisted of [[subsistence farming]] with some exploitation of timber and grazing land for export to the mainland. With improved transportation, it has developed as a tourist destination, particularly for Japanese interested in [[scuba diving]] and [[ecotourism]]. Foreign tourists are also sometimes drawn by the islands' remoteness and unusually mixed local culture. Refrigeration has also allowed for the greater exportation of fruits and vegetables. Coffee bushes have also recently been introduced successfully.<ref>[https://world-natural-heritage.jp/en/food/ogasawara-food/ Experience the distinctive cuisine of Ogasawara, born from its uncommon island environment]</ref>

Some [[Government of Japan|government]] agencies are also involved with the islands. A {{convert|25|m|ft|adj=mid|-diameter}} radio telescope is located in Chichijima, one of the stations of the [[very-long-baseline interferometry]] (VLBI) Exploration of Radio Astrometry (VERA) project. It is operated by the [[National Astronomical Observatory of Japan]].

==Geography and administration==
{{main|Geography of the Bonin Islands}}
[[File:Ogasawara-Islands-Chichijima-Hahajima.png|thumb|Satellite photo of Chichijima and Hahajima]]

The Bonin Islands consist of three subgroups. Their former names come from a variety of sources, but their Japanese ones generally reflect a family:
* [[Mukojima islands|Muko-jima Group]] ({{lang|ja-Hani|聟島列島}} {{transliteration|ja|Muko-jima Rettō}}), formerly the Parry Group
**Muko-jima ({{lang|ja-Hani|聟島}}, {{literally|Bridegroom Island}})
**Yome-jima (嫁島, {{lit|Bride Island|lk=no}}), formerly Kater Island
**Nakōdo-jima or Nakadachi-jima (媒島, {{lit|Matchmaker Island|lk=no}})
**Kita-no-jima (北の島 or 北島, {{lit|Northern Island|lk=no}})
**Mae-jima (前島, {{lit|Front Island|lk=no}}), formerly The Ears
* Chichi-jima Group (父島列島 {{transliteration|ja|Chichi-jima Rettō|lk=no}}), formerly the Beechey Group
**[[Chichi-jima]] (父島, {{lit|Father Island}}), formerly the Main Island or Peel Island
**Ani-jima (兄島, {{lit|Elder Brother Island|lk=no}}), formerly Hog Island or Buckland Island
**[[Otōtojima|Otōto-jima]] (弟島, {{lit|Younger Brother Island|lk=no}}), formerly North Island or Stapleton Island
**Mago-jima (孫島 {{lit|Grandchild Island|lk=no}})
**Higashi-jima (東島 {{lit|East Island|lk=no}})
**Nishi-jima (西島 {{lit|West Island|lk=no}}), formerly Goat Island
**Minami-jima (南島 {{lit|South Island|lk=no}}), formerly Knorr Island
* Haha-jima Group (母島列島 {{transliteration|ja|Haha-jima Rettō|lk=no}}), formerly the Baily Group or Coffin Islands
**[[Haha-jima]] (母島, {{lit|Mother Island}}), formerly Hillsborough Island
**Mukō-jima (向島, {{lit|Yonder Island|lk=no}}), formerly Plymouth Island
**Hira-jima or Taira-jima (平島, {{lit|Flat Island|lk=no}})
**Ane-jima (姉島, {{lit|Elder Sister Island|lk=no}}), formerly Perry Island
**[[Imōtojima|Imōto-jima]] (妹島, {{lit|Younger Sister Island|lk=no}}), formerly Kelly Island
**Mei-jima (姪島, {{lit|Niece Island|lk=no}})

Although not part of the Bonins ({{lang|ja|小笠原群島}}, ''Ogasawara-'''guntō''''') geographically,{{sfnp|Freeman|1951|pp=229-235}} the nearby [[Volcano Islands]], [[Nishinoshima (Ogasawara)|Nishinoshima]] (Rosario Island), [[Okinotorishima]] (Parece Vela), and [[Minamitorishima]] (Marcus Island) are organized as part of [[Ogasawara, Tokyo|Ogasawara municipality]] (小笠原村, ''Ogasawara-'''mura''''').<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/73107/Bonin-Islands "Bonin Islands,"] ''Encyclopædia Britannica.'' Retrieved July 06, 2009.</ref> Ogasawara itself is organized as a [[Subprefectures of Japan|subprefecture]] of [[Tokyo]].<ref name="nussbaum981">Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Tōkyō" in {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|''Japan Encyclopedia'', pp. 981–982}}; in {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC| "Kantō" p. 479}}</ref> In Japanese, the geographical expression for the full range of the municipality is the "Ogasawara Archipelago" ({{lang|ja|小笠原諸島}}, ''Ogasawara-'''shotō''''') which in turn is sometimes [[calque]]d back into English as another meaning for "the Bonin Islands".

== Geology ==
The Bonin Islands are a part of the [[Izu–Bonin–Mariana Arc]] of [[Pacific islands]]. A fore arc, they lie above the [[subduction]] zone where the [[Pacific Plate]] slides beneath the [[Philippine Sea Plate]]. This began during the [[Eocene]], simultaneously producing the deep [[Bonin Trench]] to the east about 50 million years ago and prolonged volcanic activity that created the islands on the west around 48 million years ago. The Bonins are mostly composed of an [[andesite|andesitic]] volcanic rock called [[boninite]], rich in [[magnesium oxide]], [[chromium]], and [[silicon dioxide]]. They may represent the exposed parts of an [[ophiolite]] that has not yet been emplaced on oceanic crust. Although the area is currently dormant, most of the islands still have steep shorelines, often with sea cliffs ranging from {{convert|50|to|100|m|ft|sp=us}} high.<ref name=como/>

The Volcano Islands are much younger and still geologically active. [[Iwo Jima]] is a [[dormant volcano]] characterized by rapid uplift and several [[hot springs]]. The highest point in the entire chain lies on [[South Iwo Jima]], at {{convert|916|m|ft|sp=us}}. In November 2013, a new [[volcanic island]] formed offshore from [[Nishinoshima (Ogasawara)|Nishinoshima]] and eventually merged with it.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nishinoshima Continues to Grow |url=https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/86111/nishinoshima-continues-to-grow |website=Earth Observatory |publisher=NASA |access-date=20 June 2020 |date=24 June 2015}}</ref>

The islands are fringed with healthy [[coral reef]]s and have many small beaches.<ref name=como>[http://www.coremoc.go.jp/english/pub/coralreefjapan/060101_ogasawara.pdf coral reefs] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410061717/http://www.coremoc.go.jp/english/pub/coralreefjapan/060101_ogasawara.pdf |date=April 10, 2008 }}</ref>

==Climate==
The climate of the Bonin Islands ranges from a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Cfa'') to [[tropical monsoon climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Am'').

The climate of Chichijima is on the boundary between the humid subtropical climate (Köppen classification ''Cfa'') and the tropical monsoon climate (Köppen classification ''Am''). Temperatures are warm to hot all year round due to the warm currents from the North Pacific gyre surrounding the island. Rainfall is less heavy than in most parts of mainland Japan since the island is too far south to be influenced by the [[Aleutian Low]] and too far from Asia to receive monsoonal rainfall or orographic precipitation on the equatorward side of the [[Siberian High]]. The wettest months are May and September, while the driest are January and February.

{{Weather box
|location = Chichijima (1991–2020)
|width=auto
|single line = Y
|metric first = Y
|Jan high C = 20.7
|Feb high C = 20.5
|Mar high C = 21.7
|Apr high C = 23.4
|May high C = 25.6
|Jun high C = 28.5
|Jul high C = 30.4
|Aug high C = 30.3
|Sep high C = 29.9
|Oct high C = 28.6
|Nov high C = 25.9
|Dec high C = 22.7
|year high C =25.7
|Jan mean C = 18.5
|Feb mean C = 18.1
|Mar mean C = 19.3
|Apr mean C = 21.1
|May mean C = 23.4
|Jun mean C = 26.2
|Jul mean C = 27.7
|Aug mean C = 28.0
|Sep mean C = 27.7
|Oct mean C = 26.4
|Nov mean C = 23.8
|Dec mean C = 20.6
|year mean C= 23.4
|Jan low C = 15.8
|Feb low C = 15.4
|Mar low C = 16.8
|Apr low C = 18.8
|May low C = 21.4
|Jun low C = 24.4
|Jul low C = 25.6
|Aug low C = 26.1
|Sep low C = 25.7
|Oct low C = 24.4
|Nov low C = 21.6
|Dec low C = 18.2
|year low C= 21.2
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 63.6
|Feb rain mm = 51.6
|Mar rain mm = 75.8
|Apr rain mm = 113.3
|May rain mm = 151.9
|Jun rain mm = 111.8
|Jul rain mm = 79.5
|Aug rain mm = 123.3
|Sep rain mm = 144.2
|Oct rain mm = 141.7
|Nov rain mm = 136.1
|Dec rain mm = 103.3
|Jan humidity = 66
|Feb humidity = 68
|Mar humidity = 72
|Apr humidity = 79
|May humidity = 84
|Jun humidity = 86
|Jul humidity = 82
|Aug humidity = 82
|Sep humidity = 82
|Oct humidity = 81
|Nov humidity = 76
|Dec humidity = 70
|Jan rain days = 11.0
|Feb rain days = 8.5
|Mar rain days = 9.8
|Apr rain days = 10.0
|May rain days = 11.8
|Jun rain days = 8.8
|Jul rain days = 8.6
|Aug rain days = 11.3
|Sep rain days = 13.4
|Oct rain days = 13.7
|Nov rain days = 12.0
|Dec rain days = 11.2
|unit rain days = 0.5 mm
|Jan sun = 131.3
|Feb sun = 138.3
|Mar sun = 159.2
|Apr sun = 148.3
|May sun = 151.8
|Jun sun = 205.6
|Jul sun = 246.8
|Aug sun = 213.7
|Sep sun = 197.7
|Oct sun = 173.2
|Nov sun = 139.1
|Dec sun = 125.3
|source = Japan Meteorological Agency <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_sfc_ym.php?prec_no=44&block_no=47971&year=&month=&day=&view=h0|title=気象庁｜過去の気象データ検索|work=jma.go.jp}}</ref>
}}

The easternmost island, [[Minamitorishima]] or Marcus Island, has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen classification ''Aw'') with warm to hot temperatures throughout the year. The wettest months are July and August, while the driest are February and March.

{{Weather box
|location = Minamitorishima or Marcus Island (1991–2020)
|width=auto
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y
|Jan high C = 24.6
|Feb high C = 24.3
|Mar high C = 25.3
|Apr high C = 27.1
|May high C = 29.0
|Jun high C = 31.0
|Jul high C = 31.3
|Aug high C = 31.0
|Sep high C = 30.9
|Oct high C = 30.2
|Nov high C = 28.7
|Dec high C = 26.7
|year high C = 28.3
|Jan mean C = 22.4
|Feb mean C = 21.8
|Mar mean C = 22.5
|Apr mean C = 24.3
|May mean C = 26.1
|Jun mean C = 28.0
|Jul mean C = 28.5
|Aug mean C = 28.4
|Sep mean C = 28.5
|Oct mean C = 27.9
|Nov mean C = 26.5
|Dec mean C = 24.5
|year mean C = 25.8
|Jan low C = 20.3
|Feb low C = 19.6
|Mar low C = 20.4
|Apr low C = 22.3
|May low C = 24.1
|Jun low C = 25.8
|Jul low C = 26.1
|Aug low C = 26.1
|Sep low C = 26.4
|Oct low C = 25.9
|Nov low C = 24.7
|Dec low C = 22.6
|year low C = 23.7
|rain colour=green
|Jan rain mm = 69.7
|Feb rain mm = 43.4
|Mar rain mm = 56.0
|Apr rain mm = 59.6
|May rain mm = 100.6
|Jun rain mm = 44.3
|Jul rain mm = 139.8
|Aug rain mm = 177.1
|Sep rain mm = 94.8
|Oct rain mm = 89.6
|Nov rain mm = 83.0
|Dec rain mm = 90.8
|year rain mm = 1052.8
|Jan humidity = 70
|Feb humidity = 70
|Mar humidity = 74
|Apr humidity = 79
|May humidity = 79
|Jun humidity = 77
|Jul humidity = 77
|Aug humidity = 79
|Sep humidity = 79
|Oct humidity = 78
|Nov humidity = 76
|Dec humidity = 74
|year humidity = 76
|Jan rain days = 10.9
|Feb rain days = 8.5
|Mar rain days = 8.1
|Apr rain days = 7.8
|May rain days = 9.3
|Jun rain days = 7.2
|Jul rain days = 14.8
|Aug rain days = 16.7
|Sep rain days = 14.1
|Oct rain days = 12.7
|Nov rain days = 10.4
|Dec rain days = 11.8
|unit rain days = 0.5 mm
|Jan sun = 170.8
|Feb sun = 179.4
|Mar sun = 222.3
|Apr sun = 240.2
|May sun = 275.1
|Jun sun = 311.2
|Jul sun = 276.3
|Aug sun = 248.1
|Sep sun = 254.6
|Oct sun = 250.8
|Nov sun = 211.0
|Dec sun = 182.3
|year sun = 2821.7
|source = Japan Meteorological Agency <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_sfc_ym.php?prec_no=44&block_no=47991&year=&month=&day=&view=h0|title=気象庁｜過去の気象データ検索|work=jma.go.jp}}</ref>
|date=2021年9月
}}

==Ecology==
{{main|Ogasawara subtropical moist forests}}

===Flora===

[[File:Ogasawara Islands, Tokyo, Japan.jpg|thumb|right|Kominato beach and Kopepe Beach, [[Chichi-jima]]]]

Flora has evolved differently on each of the islands. The Bonin Islands are sometimes referred to as the Galápagos of the Orient.<ref>{{Cite news|last =Yamaoka| first =Fumiko| title =Saving an endangered bird in 'Orient's Galápagos'|newspaper =The Japan Times| date =May 12, 2007| url = http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070512f1.html}}</ref><ref name="world heritage"/> They form a distinct [[Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests|subtropical moist broadleaf forest]] [[ecoregion]], the [[Ogasawara subtropical moist forests]]. The ecoregion has a high degree of [[biodiversity]] and [[endemic (ecology)|endemism]]. The islands are home to about 500 plant species, of which 43% are endemic. The forests are of three main types:<ref name="eoe">"Ogasawara subtropical moist forests". ''Encyclopedia of Earth''. Accessed 28 July 2020. [https://editors.eol.org/eoearth/wiki/Ogasawara_subtropical_moist_forests]</ref>

*Type I: ''[[Elaeocarpus]]–[[Ardisia]]'' mesic forest is found in moist lowland areas with deep soils. The forests have a closed canopy with a height of about {{convert|15|m|ft|sp=us}}, dominated by ''[[Ardisia]] [[Ardisia sieboldii|sieboldii]]''. ''[[Elaeocarpus]] [[Elaeocarpus photiniaefolius|photiniaefolius]]'', ''[[Pisonia umbellifera]]'', and ''[[Planchonella obovata]]'' are other important canopy species. These forests were almost completely destroyed by clearing for [[agriculture]] before 1945.
*Type II: ''[[Distylium]]–[[Raphiolepis]]–[[Schima]]'' dry forest is found in drier lowland and upland sites with shallower soils. It is also a closed-canopy forest, with a {{convert|4|to|8|m|ft|sp=us|adj=on}} canopy composed mostly of ''[[Distylium lepidotum]]'', ''[[Rhaphiolepis integerrima]]'', ''[[Schima mertensiana]]'', ''Planchonella obovata'', and ''[[Syzygium]] [[Syzygium buxifolium|buxifolium]]''. The Type II forests can be further subdivided into:
**Type IIa: ''Distylium-Schima'' dry forest occurs in cloudy upland areas with fine-textured soils. These forests contain many rare and endemic species, with ''[[Pandanus]] boninensis'' and ''Syzygium buxifolium'' as the predominant trees.
**Type IIb: ''Raphiolepis-Livistona'' dry forest is found in upland areas with few clouds and rocky soils. ''Rhaphiolepis integerrima'' is the dominant tree species, along with the [[fan palm]] ''[[Livistona boninensis]]'', ''Pandanus boninensis'' and ''[[Ochrosia]] nakaiana''.
*Type III: ''Distylium-Planchonella'' scrub forest is found on windy and dry mountain ridges and exposed sea cliffs. These forests have the highest species diversity on the islands. ''Distylium lepidotum'' and ''Planchonella obovata'' are the dominant species, growing from {{convert|0.5|to|1.5|m|ft|sp=us}} tall. Other common shrubs are ''[[Myrsine]] [[Myrsine okabeana|okabeana]]'', ''[[Symplocos]] kawakamii'', and ''[[Pittosporum]] [[Pittosporum parvifolium|parvifolium]]''.<ref name = eoe/>

These islands are home to the northernmost outliers of the palm genus {{lang|la|[[Clinostigma]]}}. {{lang|la|C. savoryianum}} is endemic and has been planted in [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean climates]] with success. Other unique species include {{lang|la|[[Metrosideros boninensis]]}}, a plant related to similar species growing in [[Fiji]] and [[New Caledonia]].

===Fauna===
Due to its isolation and recent colonization, the Bonin Islands contain several [[Endemism|endemic]] animal species, most of them recently [[Extinction|extinct]].

==== Birds ====
[[File:BOPE.JPG|thumb|right|A [[Bonin petrel]]]]The range of the [[Bonin petrel]] extends beyond the Bonins themselves to other islands in the North Pacific. There are two restricted-range species of birds on the islands, the [[Japanese wood pigeon]] ({{lang|la|Columba janthina}}) and the near-threatened [[Bonin white-eye]] ({{lang|la|Apalopteron familiare}}), formerly known as the Bonin honeyeater. The Japanese wood pigeon was extirpated from the Iwo Island groups in the 1980s. The formerly endemic [[Bonin pigeon]] ({{lang|la|C. versicolor}}), [[Bonin thrush]] ({{lang|la|Zoothera terrestris}}) and [[Bonin grosbeak]] ({{lang|la|Carpodacus ferreorostris}}) are now extinct.<ref name="birdlife">"Bonin Islands" ''Avibase – Bird Checklists of the World''. BirdLife International. Accessed 27 July 2020. [https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/checklist.jsp?region=JPbo]</ref>

==== Mammals ====
A small extinct bat, [[Sturdee's pipistrelle]], is only known in one record and has not been seen since 1915. The [[Bonin flying fox]] ({{lang|la|Pteropus pselaphon}}), also called the Bonin fruit bat, is endemic to the islands. It is currently listed as [[Endangered species|endangered]],<ref name="iucn">{{Cite iucn | author = Vincenot, C. | title = ''Pteropus pselaphon'' | volume = 2017 | page = e.T18752A22085351 | date = 2017 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T18752A22085351.en }}</ref> and a survey published by the Ogasawara Office of Education in 1999 estimated their number at around 100.<ref>{{WWF ecoregion | id=oc0109 | name = Ogasawara subtropical moist forests | access-date=2008-01-17}}</ref> The Bonin sambar (''R. unicolor boninensis)'',<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pocock |first1=R.I. |year=1943 |title=The Skull-characters of some of the Forms of Sambar (''Rusa'') occurring to the East of the Bay of Bengal. — Part III. ''Rusa nigricans'' and ''Rusa boninensis'' |journal=Annals and Magazine of Natural History |volume=10 |issue=63 |pages=191–196 |doi=10.1080/03745481.1943.9728010}}</ref> a subspecies of the [[sambar deer]], was supposedly a population introduced to the islands only as late as 1850, but is also known from subfossil remains{{check|date=April 2024}}{{cn|date=April 2024}}; it went extinct after 1925-26, when [[Richard Goldschmidt]] saw the [[taxidermy|taxidermied]] pair of the [[Chichijima]] museum and was told by locals that merely "half a dozen" animals remained alive<ref>[[Richard Goldschmidt|Goldschmidt, Richard]] (1927). ''Neu-Japan'': 223. {{doi|10.1007/978-3-642-99454-8}}</ref>

==== Invertebrates ====
[[File:Mandarina suenoae from Anijima, Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands.jpg|thumb|{{lang|la|Mandarina suenoae}} on Anijima]]
The islands are also renowned for the many species of [[snail]]s that are found across the islands, especially the {{lang|la|[[Mandarina]]}} snails.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Chiba|first=Satoshi|date=1999|title=Accelerated Evolution of Land Snails Mandarina in the Oceanic Bonin Islands: Evidence from Mitochondrial DNA Sequences|journal=Evolution|volume=53|issue=2|pages=460–471|doi=10.1111/j.1558-5646.1999.tb03781.x|pmid=28565404|issn=1558-5646|doi-access=free}}</ref> Most of the native snails are now endangered or extinct because of introduced species and habitat loss.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Chiba|first1=Satoshi|last2=Cowie|first2=Robert H.|date=November 2016|title=Evolution and Extinction of Land Snails on Oceanic Islands|journal=Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics|volume=47|issue=1|pages=123–141|doi=10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-112414-054331|issn=1543-592X|doi-access=free}}</ref> The [[giant squid]] ({{lang|la|Architeuthis}} ''dux'') was photographed off the Bonins for the first time in the wild on 30 September 2004. It was filmed alive there in December 2006.<ref>{{cite news |date=2006-12-22 |title=Japanese Researchers Capture Giant Squid |work=Fox News |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/japanese-researchers-capture-giant-squid |url-status=live |access-date=2007-09-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070826165631/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,238263,00.html |archive-date=2007-08-26}}</ref>

== Transportation ==

===Water transport===
[[File:Ogasawaramaru at Takeshiba pier.JPG|thumb|right|upright|The ''Ogasawara Maru'' at Tokyo's Takeshiba pier. The liner travels between Tokyo and the Bonins.]]
[[File:Port of Futami, Chichijima, Ogasawara.jpg|thumb|right|Futami Port, [[Chichi-jima]], Ogasawara Village.]]
The main port is Futami on [[Chichijima]]. Since 2016, the main line connecting the islands to the mainland is the Ogasawara Shipping Company ({{lang|ja|小笠原海運株式会社}}). It operates the ''Ogasawara Maru'' ({{lang|ja|おがさわら丸}}), an 11,035-[[gross tonnage|ton]] {{convert|150|m|sp=us|adj=on}} long vessel with 170 private rooms and a total capacity of 894 passengers.<ref name=boatymcboatface>{{cite web |url=http://www.ogasawara-channel.com/access/ogamaru.htm |title=おがさわら丸 (''Ogasawara Maru'') |date=2022 }}</ref> With a top speed of {{convert|24.7|knot|km/h mph|sp=us}}, it makes the trip from [[Port of Tokyo|Takeshiba Pier]] in [[Tokyo]] in about 24 hours in good weather.<ref name=boatymcboatface/> The number of monthly voyages varies, having fallen during the [[coronavirus epidemic in Japan|coronavirus pandemic]].

Previously, there had been plans for a 14,500-[[gross tonnage|ton]] "techno superliner" able to reach a maximum speed of {{convert|38|knot|km/h mph}} and make the same journey in only 17 hours with a capacity of around 740 passengers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mes.co.jp/english/press/2004/20041115.html|title=Super High-Speed Ship (Techno Super Liner) for Ogasawara Line Naming and Launching Ceremony|access-date=2007-08-24 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070926235920/http://www.mes.co.jp/english/press/2004/20041115.html  |archive-date = 2007-09-26}}</ref> The project was canceled in July 2005, however, due to rising fuel prices and cost overruns of ¥2 billion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marinelog.com/DOCS/NEWSMMV/2005jul0252.html|title=Japan pulls plug on Techno Superliner|access-date=2007-08-24}}</ref>

Hahajima is reachable via the ferry ''Hahajima Maru'' from Chichijima.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ogasawarakaiun.co.jp/english/service/hahajima.html | title=OgasawaraKaiun Co., Ltd }}</ref>

===Road transport===
Ogasawara Village operates a bus service on Chichijima and elderly passengers may use a "silver pass". There is also a sightseeing taxi service, a rental car company, motorized scooter rental services, a bike rental service, and other amenities. Bringing your automobile onto the island is extremely difficult and costly.

===Air transport===
The Bonins have no airport. During severe accidents, illnesses, and other emergencies, a helicopter is dispatched from the [[Japan Maritime Self Defense Force|Self-Defense Force]] post on [[Iwo Jima]]. The ''[[ShinMaywa US-1]]'' seaplane from the SDF post at [[Iwakuni]] is used during visits by the Tokyo governor and other dignitaries and for any emergency requiring rapid transport back to [[Honshu]].

For several decades, there has been talk of building a full airport.<ref>{{cite book|title = Ogasawara Shotō Kōkūro Kaihatsu Chōsa Hōkusho : Ogasawara Shotō no Shinkōjiritsu no tameni|trans-title = Ogasawara Island Airlines Development Study Report: For the Independence of the Ogasawara Islands|language = ja |editor = Tōkyōto Sōmukyoku Santama Tōsho Taisakushitsu Ogasawara Shinkōka|publisher = Tokyo Metropolitan Government |year = 1983}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title = Ogasawara Shotō Kōkūro Kaihatsu Chōsa Hōkusho : Ogasawara Shotō no Kōkūjuyō Yosoku|trans-title = Ogasawara Island Airlines Development Study Report: Estimated Air Transportation Demand for Ogasawara Islands|language = ja |editor = Tōkyōto Sōmukyoku |publisher = Tokyo Metropolitan Government |year = 1985}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title = Ogasawara Shotō Kōkūro Kaihatsu Chōsa (sono 2) Hōkusho : Shūkō Kizai tō Chōsa oyobi Kūkō Kensetsu-an Sakutē Chōsa |trans-title = Ogasawara Island Airlines Development Study Report: Survey of Air Service Equipment and others with Study on Planning Airport Construction |language = ja |editor = Tōkyōto Sōmukyoku |publisher = Tokyo Metropolitan Government |year = 1987}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title = Ogasawara kūkō kensetsu kēkaku tō ni kansuru teigen |trans-title = Recommendations on Ogasawara Airport Construction |language = ja|author = Ogasawara kūkō kensetsu kēkaku tō senmon iinkai |editor = Tōkyōto Sōmukyoku Gyōseibu Chiiki Shinkōka|publisher = Tokyo Metropolitan Government|year = 1998}}</ref> Sites on Chichijima and Anijima have both been rejected. Travel time to the mainland would be cut to around two hours, improving tourism and providing emergency services,<ref name="yomiuri"/> and the national, regional, and local governments have all supported the idea in theory. Projects have lagged, however, due to concerns about their economic feasibility and concerns that the proposed sites are homes to numerous valuable, rare, or endangered plant species. Some locals have greatly desired an airport, while a desire to keep the islands' natural beauty untouched has prompted others to work to block one.<ref>{{cite journal|title = Ogasawara kūkō kensetsu no henkō motomeru / Nihon Seitai Gakkai dai 24-kai sōkai |trans-title = Petition to Change Ogasawara Airport Construction / 24th General Meeting, Ecological Society of Japan|language = ja|journal = Gijutsu to Ningen |editor = Agne|pages = 6–7|volume = 24|number = 10 (262)|issn = 0285-5186|oclc = 835524887|year = 1987}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title = Tokushū—Ogasawara no shizen to kūkō kensetsu kēkaku|trans-title =Special edition—Nature on Ogasawara and airport construction plan |language = ja|journal = Chiri|volume = 34|number = 11|pages = 21–68| issn = 0577-9308|oclc = 551698617|date = November 1989}}</ref> The issue is quite controversial on the islands.<ref name="jpri">{{cite web | url = http://www.jpri.org/publications/occasionalpapers/op15.html | title = Dilemmas of Development on The Ogasawara Islands | first = Gavan | last = McCormack | date = August 1999 | publisher = Japan Policy Research Institute | access-date = 2008-01-17 | archive-date = 2013-01-16 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130116212758/http://www.jpri.org/publications/occasionalpapers/op15.html | url-status = dead }}</ref>

On 26 June 2016, the Japanese Minister of Environment Tamayo Marukawa talked about airport construction on the Bonins after the meeting in Tokyo commemorating the fifth anniversary of their registration as World Natural Heritage.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXLASDG26H0D_W6A620C1CC1000/ |title = Minister Marukawa of Environment Ministry seeks progress "Cooperation in Construction" for Ogasawara Airport|date = 2016-06-26|publisher = [[Nihon Keizai Shinbun]]|access-date = 2017-10-12}}</ref> At a 27 July 2017 meeting with Ogasawara Village, the [[Tokyo Metropolitan Government]] announced that it was considering opening a regular air route between Tokyo and the Bonins using a proposed {{convert|1200|m|ft|adj=on|sp=us|abbr=on}} runway that would be built on Chichijima. This would allow it to land propeller aircraft with up to 50 passengers. The Tokyo government said that construction would depend on future assessments of the impact on the natural environment and economic feasibility. Ogasawara Village supported the runway in preference to expanding either the current helicopter or seaplane access.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASK7W3VTMK7WUTIL01P.html|title = Ogasawara kōkūro, kūkō kensetsu-an jiku ni kentō—Tōkyōto ga hōshin|trans-title = Tokyo Metropolitan Government suggested policy with the Airport Construction Plan on Ogasawara Island|language = ja|publisher = [[Asahi Shimbun]]|date = 2017-07-27|access-date = 2017-10-12|archive-date = 2017-10-13|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171013065007/http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASK7W3VTMK7WUTIL01P.html|url-status = dead}}</ref> In fiscal 2019, 490 million yen was included in the Japanese budget for a feasibility study and a survey on Chichijima to determine the best location to construct the runway.<ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/20190110-OYT1T50027/ |title = 「小笠原に空港整備」測量で都が実現性検討へ |work = 読売新聞オンライン |trans-title = "To Ogasawara Airport maintenance" feasibility study by survey |language = ja |publisher = [[Yomiuri Shimbun]] |date = 2019-01-10 |access-date = 2019-07-24 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190724205135/https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/20190110-OYT1T50027/ |archive-date = 2019-07-24}}</ref> In August 2020, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government held a council during which it affirmed its desire to open an airport. Still, it claimed it would not occur until 2030 at the earliest.<ref name="yomiuri">{{cite web |title=小笠原に垂直離着陸可能な「ティルトローター機」案…滑走路５００ｍ、環境に配慮 |publisher=Yomiuri |url=https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/20200802-OYT1T50158/ |date=August 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027191817/https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/20200802-OYT1T50158/ |archive-date=October 27, 2020}}</ref> To address environmental concerns, they further proposed shortening the runway to about {{convert|500|m|sp=us}} and using [[tiltrotor]] aircraft to compensate.<ref name="yomiuri"/>

==Demography, language, and education==
[[File:Oubeikei-Tomin circa 1930.JPG|thumb|left|upright|An islander, who appears to be a Christian [[clergy]]man of US or European ancestry, in about 1930]]
In 2021, the Bonins had a population of 2560, divided between Chichijima (2120) and Hahajima (440).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.soumu.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/07ogasawara/guidance/summary.html|title=支庁の案内: 管内概要 (Japanese)|access-date=2022-06-16|date=2021-04-01}}</ref> Virtually all of the Bonin Islands' permanent inhabitants are Japanese citizens. This includes a significant proportion of ancestors from the United States, Europe, and other Pacific islands, who can often be distinguished by their physical features, family names spelled out with [[katakana]], and adherence to [[Christianity in Japan|Christianity]]. During and after the US military occupation of 1946–68, a small minority of islanders opted for US citizenship and/or emigrated from the islands. However, most islanders with non-Japanese ancestry now appear to be reassimilating with the ethnic Japanese majority.

Japanese is the common language. Because settlers from the United States, Europe, and other Pacific islands preceded ethnic Japanese residents, an English-lexified [[pidgin]] which subsequently developed into a [[creole language|creole]], known as [[Bonin English]], Ogasawara Creole or Ogasawara Mixed Language, emerged on the islands during the 19th century.<ref name="Long 2004">{{cite journal |title=The Last Yankee in the Pacific: Eastern New England Phonology in the Bonin Islands |journal=American Speech |volume=79 |issue=4 |pages=356–367 |last=Long |first= Daniel |author2=Peter Trudgill |year=2004 |doi=10.1215/00031283-79-4-356|s2cid=145388563 }}</ref> This was the result of Japanese being hybridized with island English, resulting in a mixed language that can still be heard.<ref name="Long 2007">{{cite book |title=English on the Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands |last=Long |first=Daniel |year=2007 |publisher=Duke University Press |isbn=978-0-8223-6671-3}}</ref>

The Ogasawara Village municipality operates public elementary and junior high schools, while [[Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education]] operates [[Ogasawara High School]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ogasawara-h.metro.tokyo.jp/ |title=Chichi-jima |publisher=ogasawara-h.metro.tokyo.jp |access-date=2007-10-30 |archive-date=2020-02-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215113124/http://www.ogasawara-h.metro.tokyo.jp/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the post-[[World War II]] era, {{nihongo|Admiral [[Arthur Radford]] Elementary School|ラドフォード提督学校}} taught elementary students and high school students went to [[Guam]] to do their high school education. Ogasawara High opened in 1964.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metro.ed.jp/ogasawara-h/our_school/history.html|title=トップ > 学校案内 > 沿革|publisher=[[Ogasawara High School]]|access-date=2024-03-21|language=ja}}</ref>

== Fictional references ==
The Bonins have been referenced in several works of fiction. ''Bonin'' by [[Digby George Gerahty|Robert Standish]] describes itself as 'a novel', but claims 'this book is an accurate history of the Bonin Islands', based mainly on information from Nathaniel Savory's great-granddaughter, and includes descriptions of maltreatment of the Anglo-Polynesian population by the later Japanese settlers and authorities and a detailed map of the Chichijima group (on the back end-paper), including over 50 English place-names.<ref>Standish, Robert (pseudonym of Digby George Gerahty). (1943). ''Bonin: A Novel'', London: Peter Davies.</ref>

Chapter XVI of [[Jack London]]'s autobiographical novel ''[[John Barleycorn (novel)|John Barleycorn]]'' says, "This isolated group, belonging to Japan, had been selected as the rendezvous of the Canadian and American sealing fleets", and describes the drunken visit of a young sailor and his shipmates to the Bonin Islands.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/John_Barleycorn_(London)/Chapter_XVI |title=John Barleycorn (London)/Chapter XVI |last=London |first=Jack |year=1913 |work=John Barleycorn |via=Wikisource}}</ref>

In the television series ''[[The Super Dimension Fortress Macross]]'', a fictional island in the chain, South Ataria Island (which would have laid at the southernmost position in the chain, surpassing [[Minami Iwo Jima]]), is the landing site of the [[SDF-1 Macross]].<ref>[http://macross.anime.net/story/atlas/universe/milky_way/orion_arm/sol/earth/oceania/japan/south_ataria_island/index.html Macross Compendium Atlas Listing]</ref>

In the 1963 film ''[[Matango]]'', a luxury yacht is set adrift and lands on an island. Upon approaching the island, one of the crew members shouts: "I wonder if it's the Bonin Islands?"<ref>[http://www.cswap.com/1963/Matango/cap/en/25fps/a/00_17 Matango – 00:17]</ref> The English subtitles for the film misspell Bonin "Bonan".{{citation needed|date=March 2017}}

In the 2003 film ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]'', the twin [[Mothra]] larvae hatch from their egg in Himago Island and rush to help their mother who got attacked by [[Godzilla]].

The 2017 [[anime]] film ''[[The Irregular at Magic High School: The Movie – The Girl Who Summons the Stars]]'' takes place on fictional islands in the Bonins.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Morrissy |first=Kim |date=June 20, 2017 |title=''The irregular at magic high school The Movie: The Girl Who Summons the Stars'' - Review |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/the-irregular-at-magic-high-school-the-movie/the-girl-who-summons-the-stars/.117653 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516112939/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/the-irregular-at-magic-high-school-the-movie/the-girl-who-summons-the-stars/.117653 |archive-date=May 16, 2022 |access-date=May 16, 2022 |website=[[Anime News Network]]}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights=130>
File:Mukojima, Ogasawara, Tokyo.jpg|Muko-jima
File:Minamijima.jpg|Minami-jima, a small island in the [[Chichi-jima]] group
File:Hahajima-oki.jpg|[[Haha-jima]]
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Tokyo}}
* [[List of extreme points of Japan]]
* [[List of World Heritage Sites in Japan]]
* [[María de Lajara]]

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
* {{citation |last=Abel-Rémusat |first=Jean-Pierre |author-link=Jean-Pierre Abel-Rémusat |contribution=Description d'un Groupe d'Îles Peu Connues et Situé entre le Japon et les Îles Mariannes, Rédigée d'après les Relations des Japonais [Description of a Little Known Group of Islands Situated between Japan and the Mariana Islands, Including the Accounts of the Japanese] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H-62q3dzY6EC&pg=RA2-PA384-IA1 |title=Journal des Savans ''[''Journal of the Learnèd'']'' |date=July 1817 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=H-62q3dzY6EC&pg=RA2-PA387 387–396] |lang=fr |publisher=[[Royal Printing Office (France)|Royal Printing Office]] |location=Paris |ref={{harvid|Rémusat|1817}} |contribution-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H-62q3dzY6EC&pg=RA2-PA387 }}.
* {{citation |last=Beechey |first=Frederick William |author-link=Frederick William Beechey |title=Narrative of a Voyage to the Pacific and Beering's Strait to Co-operate with the Polar Expeditions, Performed in His Majesty's Ship ''Blossom'' under the Command of Captain F.W. Beechey, R.N., F.R.S. &c. in the Years 1825, 26, 27, 28 |publisher=H. Colburn & R. Bentley |year=1831 |location=London |url=https://archive.org/details/narrativeavoyag02beecgoog }}.
* {{citation |title=The Bonin Islanders, 1830 to the Present: Narrating Japanese Nationality |last=Chapman |first=David |publisher=Routledge |year=2016 |isbn=978-2015049366 |location=London }}.
* {{citation |last=Cholmondeley |first=Lionel Berners |author-link=Lionel Berners Cholmondeley |date=1915 |title=The History of the Bonin Islands from the Year 1827 to the Year 1876 |url=http://mysite.du.edu/~ttyler/ploughboy/boninchol.htm |location=London |publisher=Constable & Co. }}
* {{citation |last=Freeman |first=Otis Willard |date=1951 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kjIhAAAAMAAJ |title=Geography of the Pacific |location=New York |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=9780598436061 |oclc=415089 }}.
* {{citation |last=King |first=A.F. |contribution=Hypa, the Centenarian Nurse |title=The Mission Field |issue=43 |pages=415–421 |date=1898 }}.
* {{citation |last=Hayashi |first=Shihei |author-link=Hayashi Shihei |date=1785 |lang=ja |title=''三國通覽圖說 [''Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu, An Abridged Illustrated Description of the Three Kingdoms'']'' |location=Edo |oclc=44014900 |publisher=autograph manuscript |url=http://www.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kotenseki/html/ru03/ru03_01547/index.html }}.
* {{citation |last=Klaproth |first=Julius |author-link=Julius Klaproth |date=1832 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jCNMAAAAYAAJ
|title=''三國通覽圖說'' San Kokf Tsou Ran To Sets, ou, Aperçu Général des Trois Royaumes ''[''Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu, or, General Outline of the Three Kingdoms'']'' |location=Paris |publisher=[[Royal Asiatic Society|Oriental Translation Fund...]] |oclc=2563166 |lang=fr }}.
* {{citation |last=Kublin |first=Hyman |contribution-url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/2561081.pdf |contribution=The Discovery of the Bonin Islands: A Reexamination |title=Annals of the Association of American Geographers |date=March 1953 |volume=43 |issue=1 |pages=27–46 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |location=Milton Park |doi=10.2307/2561081 |jstor=2561081 }}.
* {{citation |last=Rein |first=J.J. |date=1884 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BrzteY1ur2kC |title=Japan: Travel and Researches |publisher= Psychology Press|location= |isbn=9780700710164 }}.
* {{citation |last=Rüegg |first=Jonas |contribution-url=https://cross-currents.berkeley.edu/e-journal/issue-23/ruegg |contribution=Mapping the Forgotten Colony: The Ogasawara Islands and the Tokugawa Pivot to the Pacific |title=Cross-Currents |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=440–490 |date=2017 |access-date=2018-11-24 |archive-date=2018-11-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124215956/https://cross-currents.berkeley.edu/e-journal/issue-23/ruegg |url-status=dead }}.
* {{citation |last=Welch |first=Jeanie M. |contribution=Without a Hangman, Without a Rope: Navy War Crimes Trials after World War II |contribution-url=http://www.pegc.us/archive/Articles/welch_naval_MCs.pdf |title=International Journal of Naval History |volume=1 |issue=1 |date=April 2002 |access-date=2022-12-04 |archive-date=2019-11-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103132545/http://www.pegc.us/archive/Articles/welch_naval_MCs.pdf |url-status=bot: unknown }}.
* {{citation |last=Welsch |first=Bernhard |date=June 2004 |contribution-url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25169675 |contribution=Was Marcus Island Discovered by Bernardo de la Torre in 1543? |title=Journal of Pacific History |volume=39 |issue=1 |pages=109–122 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |location=Milton Park |jstor=25169675 }}.

==External links==
{{commons category|Ogasawara Islands}}
{{wikivoyage|Bonin Islands}}
{{EB1911 poster|Bonin Islands}}
* [http://www.vill.ogasawara.tokyo.jp/ Ogasawara Village] (Japanese)
* [http://nihongo.hum.tmu.ac.jp/~long/bonins/default.html The Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands Language and Culture Site] (no longer maintained, apparently as of 2001)
* [http://www.ogasawara-channel.com/ Ogasawara Channel] (Japanese)
* National Archives of Japan: [https://web.archive.org/web/20090416020434/http://jpimg.digital.archives.go.jp/jpg_prg/jgmWeb?%25TmpFileDisp%25Env=jpeg2k_images%2Fezu%2Fnihonyochizu%2F107_ogasawara_e.env The faked map of 1752 mentioned in Hiroyuki Tanaka's 1998 article.]
* Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Ogasawara-mura: [https://web.archive.org/web/20080222173006/http://www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp/english/spot/ogasa1.html maps/photos]

{{Ogasawara, Tokyo}}
{{Tokyo}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Japan}}

{{Authority control}}{{Coord|26|59|53|N|142|13|05|E|region:JP_type:isle_source:dewiki|display=title}}
[[Category:Bonin Islands| ]]
[[Category:Archipelagoes of Japan]]
[[Category:Izu–Bonin–Mariana Arc|*]]
[[Category:Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park]]
[[Category:Islands of Tokyo]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Japan]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Japan]]
[[Category:Archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean]]

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack

2025-06-18T00:05:53Z

103.43.78.8:

{{short description|2001 film directed by Shusuke Kaneko}}
{{use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
| image = Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001) Japanese theatrical poster.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| native_name = {{Infobox Japanese| katakana=ゴジラ・モスラ・キングギドラ大怪獣総攻撃| revhep=Gojira, Mosura, Kingu Gidora: Daikaijū Sōkōgeki}}
| director = [[Shusuke Kaneko]]
| producer = {{Ill|Hideyuki Honma|ja|本間英行}}
| writer = [[Keiichi Hasegawa]] [[Masahiro Yokotani]] Shusuke Kaneko
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[Chiharu Niiyama]]
* [[Ryudo Uzaki]]
* [[Masahiro Kobayashi (actor)|Masahiro Kobayashi]]
* [[Hideyo Amamoto]]
* [[Shirō Sano]]
}}
| music = [[Kow Otani]]
| cinematography = {{Ill|Masahiro Kishimoto|ja|岸本正広}}
| editing = Isao Tomita
| studio = [[Toho Studios|Toho Pictures]]
| distributor = [[Toho]]
| released = {{Film date|2001|11|3|[[Tokyo International Film Festival|TIFF]]|2001|12|15|Japan}} 
| country = Japan
| runtime = 105 minutes
| language = Japanese
| budget = {{USD|7–9 million|long=no}}<ref name="TezukaInterview">{{cite web |url=http://www.henshinonline.com/tezuka-mimura.html |title=Interview: Masaaki Tezuka and Wataru Mimura |access-date=2016-05-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701043428/http://www.henshinonline.com/tezuka-mimura.html |archive-date=2016-07-01 |work=henshionline}}</ref><ref name="Highest-Grossing">{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/highest-grossing-godzilla-movies/|title=The 10 Highest-Grossing Godzilla Movies, Ranked|website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]]|date=February 25, 2024|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240225204707/https://collider.com/highest-grossing-godzilla-movies/%2339-godzilla-minus-one-39-2023|archive-date=February 25, 2024|access-date=February 25, 2024}}</ref>
| gross = {{USD|20 million|long=no}}<ref name="Highest-Grossing" />
}}
{{nihongo foot|'''''Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack'''''|ゴジラ・モスラ・キングギドラ大怪獣総攻撃|Gojira, Mosura, Kingu Gidora: Daikaijū Sōkōgeki|group=lower-alpha}} (often abbreviated as '''''GMK''''')<ref name="Guy">{{cite web|url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/features/972563-the-10-best-godzilla-movies-of-all-time|title=The 10 Best Godzilla Movies Of All Time|first=Guy|last=Vizard|work=ComingSoon.net|date=September 13, 2018|access-date=December 27, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://nerdist.com/godzilla-goodness-godzilla-mothra-and-king-ghidorah-giant-monsters-all-out-attack-2001/|title=Godzilla Goodness: ''Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack'' (2001)|first=Witney|last=Seibold|work=Nerdist|date=May 29, 2014|access-date=December 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618223321/https://nerdist.com/godzilla-goodness-godzilla-mothra-and-king-ghidorah-giant-monsters-all-out-attack-2001/|archive-date=June 18, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> is a 2001 Japanese ''[[kaiju]]'' film directed and co-written by [[Shusuke Kaneko]]. The 26th film in the [[Godzilla (franchise)|''Godzilla'' franchise]] and the third of the [[Godzilla (franchise)#Millennium era (1999–2004)|Millennium era]], it serves as a direct sequel to ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'' (1954), ignoring the events of every other installment in the series (albeit briefly referencing the [[Godzilla (1998 film)|1998 American film]]). [[Chiharu Niiyama]] stars as a reporter covering the story of [[Mothra]], [[King Ghidorah]], and [[Baragon]] defending Japan from [[Godzilla]], an undead creature possessed by the souls of those killed during the [[Pacific War]]. The supporting cast includes [[Ryudo Uzaki]], [[Masahiro Kobayashi (actor)|Masahiro Kobayashi]], [[Hideyo Amamoto]] (in his final film role), and [[Shirō Sano]], with [[Mizuho Yoshida]] as Godzilla, [[Akira Ohashi]] as Ghidorah, and Rie Ōta as Baragon.

Kaneko originally slated Godzilla to face off against a revamped version of [[Kamacuras]] but ultimately decided to place Godzilla against three monsters representing elements of the Earth. The initial three monsters he pitched were [[Varan]], Baragon, and [[Anguirus]], however, [[Toho]] later convinced him to replace Varan and Anguirus with King Ghidorah and Mothra to attract more public interest. [[Principal photography]] began on May 11, 2001, on a {{USD|7–9 million|long=no}} budget, at Toho Studios, and [[Wrap (filmmaking)|wrapped]] on August 9.{{sfn|England|2021|pp=87-89, 180-186}}

''Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah'' premiered at the [[Tokyo International Film Festival]] on November 3, 2001. Toho later released it throughout Japan on December 15, as a [[double feature]] with ''[[List of Hamtaro episodes#Films|Hamtaro: Adventures in Ham-Ham Land]]''. The film earned {{USD|20 million|long=no}} internationally and tied in Japan for the position of the [[List of Japanese films of 2002|third-highest-grossing domestic film during 2002]]. ''Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah'' received generally positive reviews from critics, with many considering it among the best in the ''Godzilla'' series. It was followed by Masaaki Tezuka's ''[[Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla]]'' (2002), which is set in a different continuity.

==Plot==

During a briefing with the [[Japan Self-Defense Forces]] (JSDF) regarding [[Godzilla]]'s first attack,{{efn|As depicted in its 1954 [[Godzilla (1954 film)|self-titled film]].}} Admiral Taizo Tachibana is alerted about an American nuclear submarine that went missing off [[Guam]]. Search and rescue units find the submarine destroyed and capture footage of a giant creature's fins nearby. Tachibana's daughter, Yuri, films a docudrama with her production crew at [[Mount Myōkō]], where a mysterious earthquake briefly occurs. It occurs again later that night, burying a [[Bōsōzoku|biker gang]] and leaving one surviving trucker, who witnesses the monster [[Baragon]], which he misidentifies as Godzilla. The next day, Yuri's colleague Teruaki Takeda supports her theory that a monster may have caused of the mysterious earthquakes and gives her a book called ''The Guardian Monsters''.

At [[Lake Ikeda]], [[Mothra]] in her [[larva]] form attacks a group of teenagers who disturbed her shrine while in [[Aokigahara]], a suicidal man accidentally encounters a frozen 3,000-year-old dragon, [[King Ghidorah|Ghidorah]]. Yuri interviews Hirotoshi Isayama, an elderly man who explains the legend of the guardian monsters: Baragon, Mothra, and Ghidorah, iterating that they must be awakened before Godzilla destroys Japan. Yuri and her team visit the guardian monsters' shrine, where she finds a strange stone before returning to continue interviewing Isayama. In the process, she discovers that the souls of soldiers and civilians who were killed during the [[Pacific War]] are embedded within Godzilla and are lashing out due to modern Japan's denial of its past crimes.

Godzilla and Baragon surface and battle in [[Hakone]], with the former emerging victorious. Yuri is injured during the fray and goes on her own after Takeda refuses to take her to Godzilla's location. Mothra's cocoon is discovered in Lake Ikeda. After the jets fail to stop Godzilla, Tachibana sets up a defense line in [[Yokohama]]. An imago Mothra and a juvenile Ghidorah awaken and battle Godzilla in Yokohama. Mothra sacrifices herself and imbues her spirit into Ghidorah, empowering it. Ghidorah manages to injure and drag Godzilla underwater. Tachibana and a colleague board miniature submarines to launch missiles into Godzilla's wound. Yuri and Takeda report on the struggle from [[Yokohama Bay Bridge]] that later collapses from Godzilla's atomic breath.

The shrine stone falls from Takeda's pocket and revives Ghidorah, who saves Yuri and Takeda from their fall before they swim ashore while the monsters continue to fight. Godzilla destroys Ghidorah, unleashing the spirits of the guardian monsters, which drag Godzilla into the sea. After entering Godzilla's body through its mouth, Tachibana fires a missile at the wound. Godzilla attempts to kill Yuri and Takeda, but Tachibana's missile explodes, causing its atomic breath to escape through the gaping wound and build pressure within its body. Tachibana escapes as Godzilla sinks and explodes after attempting to kill Tachibana with its atomic breath. Japan rejoices at their victory, with Tachibana saluting his colleagues and the guardian monsters. Meanwhile, Yuri's colleagues discover all trace of Isayama has vanished from their recordings and that he was killed during the first Godzilla attack. On the ocean floor, Godzilla's disembodied heart continues to beat.

==Cast==
{{Cast listing|
* [[Chiharu Niiyama]] as Yuri Tachibana, the reporter for BS Digital Q and one of the film's main protagonists.
* [[Ryudo Uzaki|Ryūdō Uzaki]] as Taizo Tachibana, the admiral of [[Japan Self-Defense Forces]], Yuri's father and one of the film's main protagonists.
** Mikisuke Haruyama portrays younger Taizo in the flashback.
* [[Masahiro Kobayashi (actor)|Masahiro Kobayashi]] as Teruaki Takeda, the novelist.
* [[Shirō Sano]] as Haruki Kadokura, the manager of BS Digital Q Planning.
* [[Hideyo Amamoto]] as Hirotoshi Isayama, the mysterious old man who warns Japan that Godzilla would soon appear to seek vengeance against the nation. This was Amamoto's final performance before his death two years later.
* [[Kaho Minami]] as Kumi Emori, the colonel of JSDF Information Management Department
* [[Shinya Owada]] as Katsumasa Mikumo, the lieutenant general of Japan Self-Defense Forces.
* [[Kunio Murai]] as Masato Hinogaki, the secretary of Japan Self-Defense Forces.
* [[Hiroyuki Watanabe]] as Yutaka Hirose, the commander of Japan Self-Defense Forces.
* [[Shingo Katsurayama]] as Tokihiko Kobayakawa, the major of Japan Self-Defense Forces.
* [[Mizuho Yoshida]] as [[Godzilla]], the undead dinosaurian creature and the film's main antagonist. Yoshida previously portrayed Desghidorah in ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'' and Dagahra in ''[[Rebirth of Mothra II]]'', both distributed by Toho.
** Yoshida also makes a cameo as the man watching [[Mothra]] flying over [[Kagoshima]].
* [[Akira Ohashi]] as [[King Ghidorah]], the three-headed dragon, one of guardian monsters and one of the film's main protagonists.
** Ohashi also makes a cameo as one of fishery staffs at Yaizu Harbor.
* {{Ill|Rie Ōta|ja|太田理愛}} as [[Baragon]], a subterranean dinosaurian creature, one of guardian monsters and one of the film's main protagonists.
** Ōta also makes a cameo as one of fishery staffs at Yaizu Harbor.
** {{Ill|Toshinori Sasaki|ja|佐々木俊宜}} as the stunts of Baragon.
}}
Other cast members include [[Yukijirō Hotaru]] as the suicidal man who accidentally discovers Ghidorah; {{Ill|Toshikazu Fukawa|ja|布川敏和}} as Adjutant Miyashita; {{Ill|Moro Morooka|ja|モロ師岡}} as the director of BS Digital Q; {{Ill|Takashi Nishina|ja|仁科貴}} as Jun Maruo, an assistant director at BS Digital Q; [[Masahiko Tsugawa]] as the [[Chief Cabinet Secretary]]; [[Katsuo Nakamura]] and [[Ryo Kase]] as fishermen in [[Yaizu]]; [[Tomoe Shinohara]] as an inn guest; and [[Koichi Yamadera]] as a television producer. [[Ai Maeda (actress)|Ai]] and [[Aki Maeda]] portray twin sisters watching Mothra flying over Kagoshima, paying homage to the monster's twin fairies from her [[Mothra (film)|eponymous 1961 film]].

Cameo appearances include ''[[Godzilla 2000]]'' (1999) star Takehiro Murata as a pilot, [[Kōichi Kawakita]] as a [[Japan Air Self-Defense Force|JASDF]] officer, and Masaaki Tezuka as a JSDF officer. Kawakita served as the special effects director for all of the Heisei ''Godzilla'' films after ''[[The Return of Godzilla]]'' (1984) and Tezuka had previously directed ''[[Godzilla vs. Megaguirus]]'' (2000); both of their cameos were uncredited.

==Production==

=== Development ===
[[File:Kaneko Shusuke from "Gold Boy" at Red Carpet of the Tokyo International Film Festival 2023 (53348344064).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Shusuke Kaneko]], seen in 2023, directed and co-wrote the film]]
Producer [[Shōgo Tomiyama]] had considered selecting Kaneko to direct a ''Godzilla'' film since the filmmaker first approached him with the idea during the development of ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'' (1992).{{Sfn|England|2002|p=39}} Kaneko later impressed Tomiyama by making the critically-acclaimed ''[[Gamera]]'' film trilogy (1995-1999) and [[Pyrokinesis (film)|''Pyrokinesis'']] (2000). During the production of ''[[Godzilla vs. Megaguirus]]'' (2000), the producer and his superiors met with Kaneko and agreed he should conceive the next installment.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Motoyama|first1=Sho|last2=Matsunomoto|first2=Kazuhiro|last3=Asai|first3=Kazuyasu|last4=Suzuki|first4=Nobutaka|last5=Kato|first5=Masashi|title=東宝特撮映画大全集|trans-title=Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works|publisher=villagebooks|year=2012|isbn=978-4-864-91013-2|language=Japanese|page=275}}</ref>{{Sfn|England|2002|p=39}}

Kaneko cycled through various script ideas while attempting to devise the film. At first, he suggested having Godzilla battle [[Kamacuras]], his son's favorite ''[[kaiju]]'',<ref name="TohoSF">{{cite book |title=Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack <Toho SF Special Effects Series SPECIAL EDITION> |date=2001 |publisher=[[Toho]] |isbn=4-924609-80-3 |page=10}}</ref> but this was scrapped because [[Godzilla]] had fought a similar [[Megaguirus|insectoid ''kaiju'']] in the previous entry.<ref name="TohoSF" /> His next proposal concerned Godzilla facing off against an astronaut who becomes a monster after being exposed to cosmic rays, which Toho executives strongly rejected. He then envisoned the monster fighting three divine ''kaiju'', who he felt should be [[Anguirus]], [[Varan]] and Baragon.{{sfn|Mamiya|2002|pp=33–34, 36}} They approved of this, but told him to replace Anguirus and Varan with the more popular Mothra and King Ghidorah.{{sfn|Mamiya|2002|pp=33–34, 36}} After silently considering the suggestion for 15 minutes in their office, Kaneko concluded that he could meet their requirements for this film despite his initial skepticism.{{sfn|England|2021|p=63}}

An announcement for the film's development was scheduled to occur on December 16, 2000—the release date of ''Godzilla vs. Megaguirus—''but was cancelled. Kaneko told reporter Norman England on that same day, "The Toho heads have decided to commit only if the current film lives up to box-office expectations".{{Sfn|England|2021|p=68}} ''Godzilla vs. Megaguirus'' became a [[box-office bomb]] (grossing {{JPY|1.2 billion}} against its {{JPY|700-800 million}} budget), substantially affecting the planning of Kaneko's film.<ref name="TezukaInterview" />{{Sfn|England|2002|p=39}} Regardless, Tomiyama and executives agreed to let Kaneko continue developing the film, having gained enough faith that he would deliver a critical and commercial hit.{{Sfn|England|2002|p=39}}

=== Writing and themes ===
Kaneko co-wrote the film's screenplay with [[Keiichi Hasegawa]] and [[Masahiro Yokotani]], which had Godzilla's role replacing that of [[King Ghidorah]] in ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'' (1964).<ref>{{Cite book |title=Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia |publisher=[[Shogakukan]] |year=2014 |isbn=978-4-09-682090-2 |pages=110–111 |language=Japanese}}</ref> Furthermore, Godzilla's radioactive element was replaced with a mystical element, as its origins are rooted in Japan's past during [[World War II]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Motoyama |first1=Sho |title=Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works |last2=Matsunomoto |first2=Kazuhiro |last3=Asai |first3=Kazuyasu |last4=Suzuki |first4=Nobutaka |last5=Kato |first5=Masashi |publisher=villagebooks |year=2012 |isbn=978-4864910132 |page=274}}</ref> While Godzilla is still a mutant dinosaur that was created by the [[atomic bomb]], it is also described as the embodiment of those killed or left to die at the hands of the [[Imperial Japanese Army]] during the [[Pacific War]]. The extent to which his nuclear and spiritual origins balance is never specified. Kaneko, a lifelong [[pacifist]], wanted to give the film an anti-war angle. The nuclear origin was left in because he believed audiences wanted a realistic Godzilla, but he believed it worked better with a fantasy element. The screenwriters ultimately completed the script for the film on April 20, 2001.{{sfn|England|2002|p=40}}

A reference to ''[[Godzilla (1998 film)|Godzilla]]'' (1998) featured in the film was converted and added by Kaneko in an early draft of the script as a joke due to that film's unpopularity.{{sfn|Mamiya|2002|p=35}} The inclusion of the dialogue about a [[Zilla (Godzilla)|similar monster]] attacking New York a few years before reinforces that monsters exist worldwide in the film's universe.

=== Pre-production ===
Kaneko was expecting the appointment and had already had discussions with suit creator Fuyuki Shinada about collaborating on a Godzilla project.{{Sfn|England|2002|p=40}} He soon hired many of his collaborators on his ''Gamera'' trilogy and other films he had directed.<ref>{{cite book |title=Mothra Movies Complete Collection |publisher=Yosensha |year=2011 |isbn=978-4-86248-761-2 |edition= |page=148 |language=Japanese}}</ref>

===Filming===
[[Principal photography]] began on May 11, 2001, in Studio 1 at [[Toho Studios]].{{Sfn|England|2002|p=41}}{{sfn|England|2021|pp=|p=87}} The first two scenes filmed were the encounters with the frozen [[King Ghidorah|Ghidorah]], for which a set was created to depict the interior of a cave;{{Sfn|England|2002|p=41}} [[Yukijirō Hotaru]]'s scene at the location was shot on the first day,{{Sfn|England|2021|p=87}} with [[Hideyo Amamoto]]'s shot the following day.{{Sfn|England|2021|p=89}} At the start of photography, Kaneko expressed on-set that he felt "One difference between [[Toho]] and [[Kadokawa Daiei Studio|Daiei]] is the quality of the sets. On ''[[Gamera]]'', we had little money, so I had to film on location. At Toho, with over twice the budget, I can have sets built to order."{{Sfn|England|2002|p=41}}

The three months of filming [[Wrap (filmmaking)|wrapped]] on August 9, 2001.{{sfn|England|2021|pp=180-186}}

=== Special effects ===
Special effects photography began on May 17, 2001, in Studio 9 at Toho Studios and concluded on August 24, 2001.{{Sfn|England|2021|pp=94–95, 190–191}}

==Release==
===Theatrical run===
''Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack'' opened in Japan on December 15, 2001 on a double-bill with the anime film ''Hamtaro: Ham Ham Big Land Adventure''.<ref name="GMK Box Office">[http://tohokingdom.com/box_office/gmk.htm GMK Box Office], Toho Kingdom</ref> In its opening weekend, it grossed approximately $1,900,000.<ref name="GMK Box Office"/> By the end of its box office run, ''Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack'' grossed a total of approximately {{JPY|2.7 billion}}<ref name="NendaiRyuukou2">{{cite web |title=歴代ゴジラ映画作品一覧／年代流行 |url=https://nendai-ryuukou.com/article/089.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203000250/https://nendai-ryuukou.com/article/089.html |archive-date=December 3, 2020 |access-date=March 27, 2022 |work=Nendai Ryuukou}}</ref> ({{USD|20 million|long=no}}), with 2,400,000 admissions.<ref name="GMK Box Office"/> It was one of the largest-grossing ''Godzilla'' films of the Millennium series in Japan. According to ''[[IGN]]'', the film "rescued" the series since the two previous Millennium films were [[box-office bomb]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Destiny |date=June 24, 2022 |title=Godzilla Movies in Order: By Release Date and Series Overview |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/godzilla-movies-in-order |access-date=April 20, 2023 |website=[[IGN]] |language=en}}</ref>

===Home media===
The film was released on [[DVD]] on August 21, 2002 and on [[VHS]] that December. A re-edit of the film was broadcast on Japanese television in 2002; this version became the last effort for the film's editor Isao Tomita, who died in October of that year.{{sfn|England|2021|p=204}} It was released on [[DVD]] on January 27, 2004, and on [[Blu-ray]], bundled with ''[[Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla]]'', on September 9, 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Godzilla-Mothra-and-King-Ghidorah-Giant-Monsters-All-Out-Attack-Blu-ray/112192/#Review|title = Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack Blu-ray}}</ref>

===English version===
{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2022}}
After the film was completed, Toho had their international versions of the movie dubbed in Hong Kong. This dubbed version significantly changes the meaning of several lines throughout the film.

[[Sony Pictures Entertainment|Sony]] licensed ''GMK'' and ''[[Godzilla vs. Megaguirus]]'' with the hope of giving both films a theatrical release in the United States. However, after the American release of ''[[Godzilla 2000]]'' under-performed at the box office, plans to give any newer ''Godzilla'' films a wide release were scrapped. Instead, Sony prepared edited television versions of both films. These premiered in the United States on the [[Syfy|Sci-Fi Channel]] on August 31, 2003, during the channel's [[Labor Day]] marathon. In February 2004, the uncut international versions of both films were released on DVD with the addition of the original Japanese soundtracks, a first for an American release of a Godzilla film.

==Reception==
''Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack'' received mostly positive critical reviews.{{sfn|Skipper|2022|p=182}} It was awarded the Excellence/Silver Award at the 40th {{ill|Golden Gross Awards|ja|ゴールデングロス賞}}.<ref name="Zenkoren">{{Cite web |title=第20回ゴールデングロス賞受賞作品 |trans-title=20th Golden Gross Award Winners |url=https://www.zenkoren.or.jp/zenkoren/goldengross/20_goldengross/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027045718/https://www.zenkoren.or.jp/zenkoren/goldengross/20_goldengross/ |archive-date=October 27, 2020 |access-date=October 26, 2023 |website=Zenkoren |publisher=[[:ja:全国興行生活衛生同業組合連合会|Japan Association of Theater Owners]] |language=Japanese}}</ref> {{Rotten Tomatoes prose|score=65|count=17|average=5.80 |ref=yes |access-date=July 4, 2020}}

Katsuhito Itō of ''[[Hobby Japan]]'' felt the film is the best ''kaiju'' movie since the original 1954 ''Godzilla'' film.{{Sfn|England|2021|p=214}} Troy Guinn of Eccentric Cinema gave the film a score of 8 out of 10, calling it "one of only three Godzilla films I would recommend to anyone besides giant monster-movie fans or sci-fi buffs, the other two being the original ''Gojira'' {{sic}} and ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]''."<ref>[http://www.eccentric-cinema.com/cult_movies2006/gmk_giant_monsters.htm Review by Troy Guinn] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080906112131/http://www.eccentric-cinema.com/cult_movies2006/gmk_giant_monsters.htm |date=2008-09-06 }}, Eccentric Cinema</ref> Bryan Byun of DVD Verdict gave it a positive review, calling it "one of the most exciting entries in Godzilla's long cinematic history."<ref>[http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/godzillaattack.php Review by Bryan Byun] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080526145222/http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/godzillaattack.php |date=2008-05-26 }}, DVD Verdict</ref> Stomp Tokyo gave the film a score of 3 out of 5, calling it "one of the better-looking entries in the series, albeit one of unfulfilled potential."<ref>[http://www.stomptokyo.com/movies/g/godzilla-gmk.html Review by Stomp Tokyo]</ref>

John Wallis of [[DVD Talk]] felt that "the story is quite weak and somber" and that "this new take on [Godzilla] doesn't really work,"<ref>[http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/4892/godzilla-mothra-and-king-ghidorah/ Review] John Wallis, DVD Talk</ref> while Gemma Tarlach of the Milwaukee Journal said that "''GMK'' is best when it embraces its unabashed cheesiness. But when it tries to make Statements with Meaning, whether on Japan's past aggressions or ersatz samurai ruminations on the duty of a warrior, the movie flounders like a giant lizard hogtied by power lines."<ref>[http://www2.jsonline.com/onwisconsin/movies/dec03/194830.asp Review]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Gemma Tarlach, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel</ref> ''[[The Boston Globe]]''{{'}}s [[Wesley Morris]] praised the film for meeting the expectation that it would be as ridiculous as the lengthy title suggested. He felt the final battle was its main flaw, citing how Baragon was "just a bumbling warm-up act" for Mothra who was "equality useless" when fighting Godzilla.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Wesley Morris |author1-link=Wesley Morris |title=''Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah'' |url=http://www.boston.com/movies/display?display=movie&id=4180 |website=[[Boston.com]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041111100728/http://www.boston.com/movies/display?display=movie&id=4180 |archive-date=2004-11-11 |date=2003-12-25 |quote='Godzilla' is back, in all his hilariously phony glory |url-status=dead}}</ref> Jamie Healy of the ''[[Radio Times]]'' rated it 3 out of 5 saying that as a result of the sheer power of Godzilla "this project comes slightly undone, as he's made into such an all-conquering badass as to be nigh-on indestructible."<ref name="RadioTimes">{{cite web |author=Jamie Healy |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/cnbvv/godzilla-mothra-and-king-ghidorah-giant-monsters-all-out-attack-%282001%29/ |title=''Godzilla Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack''|work=[[Radio Times]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006030551/https://www.radiotimes.com/film/cnbvv/godzilla-mothra-and-king-ghidorah-giant-monsters-all-out-attack-(2001)/|archive-date=October 6, 2021}}</ref>

A retrospective [[capsule review]] in ''[[Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide]]'' assessed that "Kaneko was brought in 'shake things up,' and he certainly succeeded with this dark, very violent [[epic film|epic]]". The critic noted how it is "considered by many fans to be the apex of the series, with terrific special effects and a consistently adult tone; worth seeing even for nondevotees {{sic}}."{{sfn|Maltin|2014|p=542}} In 2021, the film was ranked at number 14 on ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''<nowiki/>'s list "All the Godzilla Movies Ranked"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chernov |first=Matthew |date=2021-03-30 |title=All the Godzilla Movies Ranked |url=https://variety.com/lists/godzilla-movies-ranked/ |access-date=2023-10-26 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2023, [[Collider (website)|''Collider'']] ranked ''GMK'' as the best film in the series, listing it higher than the 1954 film and ''[[Godzilla vs. Destoroyah]]'' (1995).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Urquhart |first=Jeremy |date=2023-05-03 |title="Incredible, unstoppable titan of terror!" All 36 Godzilla Movies, Ranked From Worst to Best |url=https://collider.com/godzilla-movies-ranked/ |access-date=2023-10-26 |website=Collider |language=en}}</ref> That same year, ''[[Comic Book Resources]]'' listed it number 12 on their ranking of every film.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rai |first=Ashvaria |date=2023-05-20 |title=Every Godzilla Movie In The Franchise, Ranked |url=https://www.cbr.com/every-godzilla-movie/ |website=CBR |access-date=2023-10-26}}</ref> As of 2024, it is the 18th highest-rated ''Godzilla'' film on Rotten Tomatoes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=All Godzilla Movies Ranked |url=https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/all-godzilla-movies-ranked/ |access-date=October 26, 2023 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref>

==Legacy==

The film's miniature Yokohama set was later utilised in [[Quentin Tarantino]]'s ''[[Kill Bill: Volume 1]]'', doubling as Tokyo for a sequence in which [[The Bride (Kill Bill)|the Bride]] arrives in the city. The set was provided by [[Shinji Higuchi]], who acted as Tarantino's production coordinator in Japan.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=May 5, 2005 |title=Toho Sightings (Film)" |url=https://www.tohokingdom.com/articles/art_sighting.htm |url-status=live |language=en-gb}}</ref>

In 2023, critically acclaimed filmmaker [[Takashi Yamazaki]] cited ''Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack'' as one of his favorite ''Godzilla'' films.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=October 4, 2023 |title=''GMK'' and B&W (!) ''Shin Godzilla'' Announced as Final "Takashi Yamazaki Selection Godzilla Screenings" |url=https://www.scifijapan.com/godzilla-toho/gmk-and-b-w-shin-godzilla-announced-as-final-takashi-yamazaki-selection-godzilla-screenings |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231008214950/https://www.scifijapan.com/godzilla-toho/gmk-and-b-w-shin-godzilla-announced-as-final-takashi-yamazaki-selection-godzilla-screenings |archive-date=October 8, 2023 |access-date=October 26, 2023 |website=SciFi Japan |language=en-gb}}</ref> He stated in a discussion with Kaneko at a screening of ''GMK'', that the film had a major influence on his 2023 film ''[[Godzilla Minus One]]'': "I had forgotten the contents of ''GMK'' for a while, but it seems like I self-consciously thought about it when writing the scenario for [''Minus One'']. Without realizing it, I was under considerable influence".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kubota |first=Kazuma |date=October 14, 2023 |title=山崎貴が「『ゴジラ-1.0』は『GMK』の影響下にある」と明言！金子修介は"ガメラ4"のアイデアをポロリ |url=https://moviewalker.jp/news/article/1162065/ |access-date=October 26, 2023 |website=[[:ja:MOVIE WALKER PRESS|MOVIE WALKER PRESS]] |language=ja}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
* {{cite book|last=England|first=Norman|title=Behind the Kaiju Curtain: A Journey Onto Japan's Biggest Film Sets|publisher=Awai Books|date=November 22, 2021|isbn=978-1-937220-10-5}}
* {{Cite magazine |last=England |first=Norman |date=April 2002 |title=''GMK'': Godzilla's Biggest Smash |url= |magazine=[[Fangoria]] |issue=211 |pages=38–43 |asin=B00BDKU3EO}}
* {{cite book |last=Maltin |first=Leonard |author-link=Leonard Maltin |title=[[Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide|Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide 2015: The Modern Era]] |date=September 2014 |publisher=[[Penguin Group]] |isbn=978-0-451-46849-9 }}
* {{cite book|last=Mamiya|first=Naohiko|title=Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack Super Complete Works|publisher=[[Shogakukan]]|year=2002|isbn=978-4-09-101481-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Skipper |first=Graham |others=[[Toho]] |title=Godzilla: The Official Guide to the King of the Monsters |date=September 15, 2022 |publisher=[[Welbeck Publishing Group]] |isbn=978-1787398993 }}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/2001/dy003420.htm|title=ゴジラ・モスラ・キングギドラ大怪獣総進撃 (''Gojira, Mosura, Kingu Gidora: Daikaijū Sōkōgeki'')|access-date=2007-07-21|language=ja|publisher=[[Japanese Movie Database]]}}
* [[iarchive:project-gmk-2001|Watch the documentary ''Project GMK'' (2001) (Japanese with English subtitles)]]

{{Godzilla}}
{{Mothra}}
{{Shusuke Kaneko}}

[[Category:2001 films]]
[[Category:2001 fantasy films]]
[[Category:2000s Japanese-language films]]
[[Category:2000s monster movies]]
[[Category:2001 science fiction films]]
[[Category:Japanese crossover films]]
[[Category:Films about dragons]]
[[Category:Films directed by Shusuke Kaneko]]
[[Category:Films set in 1954]]
[[Category:Films set in 2002]]
[[Category:Films set in Aokigahara]]
[[Category:Films set in Kagoshima Prefecture]]
[[Category:Films set in Niigata Prefecture]]
[[Category:Films set in Shizuoka Prefecture]]
[[Category:Films set in Yamanashi Prefecture]]
[[Category:Films set in Yokohama]]
[[Category:Films set in the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Films set on islands]]
[[Category:TriStar Pictures films]]
[[Category:Giant monster films]]
[[Category:Godzilla films]]
[[Category:Japanese ghost films]]
[[Category:Japanese fantasy films]]
[[Category:Japanese science fiction films]]
[[Category:Japanese sequel films]]
[[Category:Kaiju films]]
[[Category:Mothra films]]
[[Category:Reboot films]]
[[Category:Submarine films]]
[[Category:Toho films]]
[[Category:2000s Japanese films]]
[[Category:King Ghidorah]]

Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla

2025-06-17T11:29:16Z

103.43.78.8: /* Cast */

{{short description|2002 film by Masaaki Tezuka}}
{{About|the 2002 film|the 1974 film|Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla{{!}}''Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla''|the 1993 film|Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II{{!}}''Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II''}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla
| image = File:Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002) Japanese theatrical poster.jpg
| caption = Japanese theatrical release poster
| native_name = {{Infobox Japanese| katakana=ゴジラ×メカゴジラ| revhep=Gojira tai Mekagojira}}
| director = Masaaki Tezuka{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=425}}
| producer = [[Shogo Tomiyama]]
| writer = [[Wataru Mimura]]{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=425}}
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[Yumiko Shaku]]
* Shin Takuma
* Kou Takasugi
* Yuusuke Tomoi
* Kumi Mizuno
* [[Akira Nakao]]
}}
| music = [[Michiru Ōshima]]{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=425}}
| cinematography = Masahiro Kishimoto{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=425}}
| editing = {{Plainlist|
* Shinichi Fushima
* Shinichi Natori{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=425}}
}}
| studio = [[Toho Pictures]]{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=425}}
| distributor = [[Toho]]
| released = {{Film date|2002|12|14|Japan}}
| runtime = 88 minutes{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=425}}
| country = Japan
| language = Japanese
| budget = {{JPY|1 billion}} ({{USD|8.5 million|long=no}})<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 1, 2002 |title=Low-Cost and Low-Tech, 'Godzilla' Thrives |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/02/business/media-low-cost-and-low-tech-godzilla-thrives.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527202527/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/02/business/media-low-cost-and-low-tech-godzilla-thrives.html |archive-date=May 27, 2015 |access-date=February 11, 2024 |website=[[The New York Times]] |quote=The budget for the upcoming movie, tentatively titled ''Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla,'' is 1 billion yen ($8.5 million).}}</ref>
| gross = {{US$|14.1 million|long=no}}<ref name="BOM">{{cite Box Office Mojo|id=0314111|title=Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002)|accessdate=April 25, 2024}}</ref>
}}

{{nihongo|'''''Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla'''''|ゴジラ×メカゴジラ|Gojira tai Mekagojira}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/07/04/godzilla-perfect-collection-box-6/ |title=GODZILLA SOUNDTRACK PERFECT COLLECTION BOX 6|last=DeSentis|first=John|work=Scifi Japan|access-date=December 1, 2016}}</ref> is a 2002 Japanese ''[[kaiju]]'' film directed by Masaaki Tezuka, with special effects by Yūichi Kikuchi. Distributed by [[Toho]] and produced under their subsidiary [[Toho Studios|Toho Pictures]], it is the 27th film in the [[Godzilla (franchise)|''Godzilla'' franchise]] and the fourth film in the franchise's [[Godzilla (franchise)#Millennium era (1999–2004)|Millennium period]], and is also the 26th ''Godzilla'' film produced by Toho. The film features the fictional giant monster character [[Godzilla]], along with an updated version of the [[mecha]] character [[Mechagodzilla]], who is referred to in the film as Kiryu. The film stars [[Yumiko Shaku]], Shin Takuma, Kou Takasugi, Yuusuke Tomoi, Kumi Mizuno, and Akira Nakao, with [[Tsutomu Kitagawa]] as Godzilla and [[Hirofumi Ishigaki]] as Kiryu.

Like the previous films in the franchise's Millennium era, ''Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla'' is a [[Reboot (fiction)|reboot]] that ignores the events of every installment in the ''Godzilla'' film series aside from the [[Godzilla (1954 film)|original 1954 ''Godzilla'']]. A direct sequel, ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]'', was released on December 13, 2003.

==Plot==
Forty-five years after the first [[Godzilla]]'s attack and death,{{efn|As depicted in the [[Godzilla (1954 film)|1954 self-titled film]].}} [[maser]]-cannon technician Lieutenant Akane Yashiro is unable to kill a new member of Godzilla's species during her first fight with it, leading to her commanding officer and some of her fellow soldiers being killed by Godzilla. As a result, Akane is demoted while scientists, including single father Tokumitsu Yuhara, are gathered to build a cyborg [[mecha]] from the first Godzilla's skeleton. In time, the [[cyborg]], [[Mechagodzilla|Kiryu]], is finished and inducted into the [[Japan Self-Defense Forces]] along with its human pilots, the Kiryu Squadron, with Akane as the primary pilot. However, memories of her actions during the first battle still linger as one of her squadron mates, 2nd Lieutenant Susumu Hayama, holds her responsible for the death of his brother.

Four years later, Kiryu is unveiled in a global presentation where its remote systems, use of command aircraft, and [[Mechagodzilla#Arsenal|Absolute Zero Cannon]] are shown. Simultaneously, Godzilla returns and Kiryu is launched into battle. In the midst of this however, Godzilla's cry causes Kiryu to experience memories of its past life and destroy the city while Godzilla retreats. The horrified Kiryu Squadron is powerless to stop the rampaging Kiryu until it runs out of energy and is brought back to headquarters for repairs.

Meanwhile, Akane deals with Hayama's attempts to make her leave and Tokumitsu's attempts to get to know her despite her desiring solitude, though she begins to develop a bond with Tokumitsu's young daughter Sara. As Godzilla mounts another attack, the repaired Kiryu is deployed and confronts Godzilla once more. Kiryu gains the upper hand, but as it prepares the Absolute Zero Cannon, Godzilla fires its atomic breath, knocking Kiryu away and diverting the blast. With Kiryu disabled and the remote piloting system taken offline, Akane orders Hayama to land his command craft so that she can use Kiryu's internal backup cockpit. Before she leaves, Hayama wishes her luck, forgiving her. Piloting Kiryu directly, Akane closes in on Godzilla, hoping to use the Absolute Zero Cannon at point-blank range. As the two monsters collide, Akane uses Kiryu's thrusters to propel them out to ocean before firing. In the aftermath, an injured Godzilla retreats once more while Kiryu is heavily damaged. With the Kiryu Squadron successful in repelling Godzilla, Kiryu is taken back to base for repairs.

In a post-credits scene, Akane agrees to have dinner with the Yuharas and salutes Kiryu.

==Cast==
{{cast listing|
* [[Yumiko Shaku]] as JXSDF Lieutenant Akane Yashiro, the member of Kiryu squadron and the film's main human protagonist.
* Shin Takuma as Tokumitsu Yuhara, Sara's single father.
* Kana Onodera as Sara Yuhara, Tokumitsu's daughter.
* Kou Takasugi as JXSDF Colonel Togashi
* [[Akira Nakao]] as Hayato Igarashi, the current [[Prime Minister of Japan]]. Nakao previously portrayed Takaki Aso in Heisei-era Godzilla film series.
* [[Yūsuke Tomoi]] as JXSDF 2nd Lieutenant Susumu Hayama
* Junichi Mizuno as JXSDF 1st Lieutenant Kenji Sekine
* [[Kumi Mizuno]] as Machiko Tsuge, Prime Minister of Japan.
* Yoshikazu Kanō as Hishinuma
* [[Takeo Nakahara]] as JXSDF Chief Ichiyanagi
* Kōichi Ueda as Dobashi
* Midori Hagio as Kaori Yamada
* Akira Shirai as Shinji Akamatsu
* Naomasa Rokudaira as Dr. Gorō Kanno
* [[Shinji Morisue]] as JXSDF 1st Lieutenant, Hayama's older brother who got killed by Godzilla in 1999.
* [[Tsutomu Kitagawa]] as [[Godzilla]], the mutant dinosaurian creature and the film's main antagonist.
** Kitagawa also portrays the [[Godzilla (1954 film)|first Godzilla]], the original form of Kiryu in the flashback and makes a cameo as Maser Cannon crew.
* [[Hirofumi Ishigaki]] as [[Mechagodzilla|Kiryu]], the cyborg version of the first Godzilla built by JXSDF and the film's main protagonist. It is loosely based on Super-Mechagodzilla from ''[[Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II]]'' and [[Zilla (Godzilla)|Cyber-Godzilla]] from ''[[Godzilla: The Series]]''.
* [[Katsuo Nakamura]] as Nishizawa
* [[Hideki Matsui]] as himself
}}

==Production==
Following [[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack|the successful revival of the monsters Mothra and King Ghidorah the previous year]], Toho elected to bring back [[Mechagodzilla]] for the next installment in the ''Godzilla'' franchise. Unlike previous iterations of Mechagodzilla, this version is mostly referred to by the name Kiryu (derived from ''Kikai-ryu'', the Japanese word for "machine dragon") throughout the film. This was done to differentiate the character from previous versions. It was, however, referred to as "Mecha-G" and "Mechagodzilla" in the English dubbing of the next film, ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]''.

Japanese baseball star [[Hideki Matsui]] has a cameo as himself in the film, due to his nickname "Godzilla".

As has been done since the early 1970s, Toho had the international version of ''Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla'' dubbed in [[Hong Kong]]. This dubbed version was released on DVD by [[Sony Pictures Home Entertainment]] in 2004.

== Soundtrack ==
''Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla'' the first film of the series with a soundtrack recorded outside of Japan. Director Masaaki Tezuka once again turned to composer [[Michiru Oshima]] following their successful collaboration on [[Godzilla vs. Megaguirus|''Godzilla X Megagurius'']], with the score itself being recorded by [[Moscow Symphony Orchestra|Moscow International Symphonic Orchestra]], under conductor Konstantin D. Krimets.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.godzillamonstermusic.com/KICA586.htm|title=GODZILLA X MECHA-GODZILLA|website=www.godzillamonstermusic.com|access-date=2016-05-23}}</ref> Tezuka and Oshima would both return for the film's sequel, ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.|Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S]]''.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}

==Release==
===Theatrical===
''Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla'' was released in Japan on 14 December 2002.{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=425}} The film was released in select theaters in the United States for one day on November 3, 2022 via [[Fathom Events]] to commemorate the franchise's 68th anniversary, dubbed "Godzilla Day."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/godzilla-against-mechagodzilla-screening-us-theaters/|title='Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla' to Play in US Cinemas for the First Time|first=Aidan|last=King|work=[[Collider (website)|Collider]]|date=October 4, 2022|access-date=October 4, 2022|url-status=live|archive-date=October 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005014125/https://collider.com/godzilla-against-mechagodzilla-screening-us-theaters/}}</ref> It pulled $335,000 for the latter release, a respectable gross for a film released only for a single night with no major advertisement beforehand.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.godzilla-movies.com/news/godzilla-x-mechagodzilla-us-box-office | title=Godzilla x MechaGodzilla U.S. Box Office }}</ref>

===Home media===
The film was released by Sony Pictures/Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment on DVD on March 23, 2004. It was released under the American title, ''Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla - International Version'', which has new English opening and closing credits but is otherwise the same as the original Japanese version.<ref>[http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=4516 "Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla - Comparison"].''dvdcompare.net''</ref>

Its second release was on Blu-ray by Sony as part of the ''Toho Godzilla Collection''.<ref>[http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Godzilla-Against-Mechagodzilla-Blu-ray/112193/#Review "Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla - Review"]. ''blu-ray.com''</ref> and was released on September 9, 2014 as part of a 2-disc double feature with ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]''.

===Critical response===
Reviews of ''Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla'' have been positive. Mike Pinsky of [[DVD Talk]] gave the film three stars out of five, saying: "While I did have some minor complaints, [this is] a fine entry in the series." Pinsky said "the plot is more interesting than most giant monster movies," and "the battle scenes, which are the main reason anyone watches these films to begin with, were great."<ref>[http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/9948/godzilla-against-mechagodzilla/ Review - Mike Pinsky]. ''[[DVD Talk]]'' April 2nd, 2004</ref> Giving the film a "B+" score, Mark Zimmer of Digitally Obsessed said that it's "a good deal of fun and one of the better entries in the series."<ref>[http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/showreview.php3?ID=5808 Review- Mark Zimmer]. ''Digitally Obsessed'' March 21, 2004</ref> Digital Monster Island gave the film a "B" score, calling it "a fun and exciting film that should please most [[kaiju]] fans."<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20040510103922/http://www.digitalmonsterisland.com/gxmg_cthe.html Review]}}. ''Digital Monster Island''</ref>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Galbraith IV |first=Stuart |title=The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f7o8pq6G_dYC |access-date=October 29, 2013 |year=2008 |publisher=[[Scarecrow Press]] |isbn=978-1461673743}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0314111}}
* {{Rotten-tomatoes|godzilla_against_mechagodzilla}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/2002/dz003850.htm|title=ゴジラ×メカゴジラ (''Gojira tai Meka-Gojira'')|access-date=2007-07-21|language=ja|publisher=[[Japanese Movie Database]]}}

{{Godzilla}}
{{Masaaki Tezuka}}

[[Category:2002 films]]
[[Category:2000s Japanese-language films]]
[[Category:2000s monster movies]]
[[Category:2000s political films]]
[[Category:2002 science fiction films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Masaaki Tezuka]]
[[Category:Films set in 1999]]
[[Category:Films set in 2003]]
[[Category:Films set in Tokyo]]
[[Category:Films set in Yokohama]]
[[Category:Films set in Chiba Prefecture]]
[[Category:Giant monster films]]
[[Category:Godzilla films]]
[[Category:Japanese political films]]
[[Category:Japanese science fiction films]]
[[Category:Japanese sequel films]]
[[Category:Kaiju films]]
[[Category:Mecha films]]
[[Category:Reboot films]]
[[Category:Toho films]]
[[Category:TriStar Pictures films]]
[[Category:Films about cyborgs]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Wataru Mimura]]
[[Category:Films scored by Michiru Ōshima]]
[[Category:2000s Japanese films]]
[[Category:Japanese robot films]]