Gunkanjima Apology Sparks New Questions for NHK

On March 26, 2025, Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) President Nobuo Inaba formally apologized to former residents of Hashima Island — commonly known as Gunkanjima. His apology concerned a decades-old NHK program that many say helped spread falsehoods about the island's history. The program aired in 1955 and depicted harsh underground mining conditions.

Korean media have widely misused the footage. It has fueled claims of wartime forced labor — claims that former residents argue are baseless and deeply damaging.

Inaba's apology took place during a public meeting at a hotel in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, where he met with eight former islanders. "We have damaged your honor for a long time, and I sincerely apologize for the pain this has caused," he said, bowing his head.

Despite multiple news organizations being present, NHK itself did not report on the meeting. That decision has drawn sharp criticism and raised questions about the broadcaster's sincerity.

*NHK President Nobuo Inaba (left) welcomes former residents of Hashima Island.*

A Long Fight for Redress

For more than four years, former residents of Hashima have demanded a correction and a formal apology from NHK. They point out that the cave footage used in Midori Naki Shima — which shows narrow, dimly lit tunnels — does not depict actual conditions in Hashima's coal mines. Additionally, they point out that the footage was produced years later, in violation of safety regulations at the time.

South Korean broadcaster KBS later used the footage without permission. In 2010, KBS aired a documentary titled Hell Island: Gunkanjima. It portrayed the island as a site of brutal forced labor during Japan's colonial rule. South Korea's National Memorial Museum of Forced Mobilization under Japanese Occupation even screened the documentary, which contributed to a global spread of misinformation.

In the face of these accusations, former residents — including Yoichi Nakamura — continued to press NHK for accountability. "Hashima was like one big family," Nakamura said during the meeting. "It took four years and four months, and many of our comrades have passed away. We are the departing generation, but we kept going so that future Japanese would not inherit this unresolved stain."

"One day, we were simply islanders," Nakamura added. "The next, we were cast as perpetrators. It was deeply unjust."

Apology, But No Broadcast

Many praised Inaba's decision to apologize, including Kenichiro Saito of the NHK Party. However, NHK's refusal to report the apology on its own channels has sparked frustration.

In a recent Diet session, Inaba confirmed that NHK had not reported on the apology. "What we report is a matter of editorial judgment," he said. "I will refrain from discussing the reasons for specific decisions."

Critics argue that NHK's response falls short. They view the apology as a pivotal moment in a longstanding public controversy — one that deserves the same editorial weight as any major national story.

Some have called on NHK to go further. They want the broadcaster to produce a follow-up program. One that revisits Midori Naki Shima investigates its historical context and corrects past misperceptions. "If NHK had acted swiftly in the past," one editorial noted, "Japan might not have faced such intense backlash when Hashima entered the World Heritage list in 2015."

Tarnishing Hashima's Legacy

Gunkanjima was registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in July 2015. It was recognized as part of the Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution.

South Korean media and activists have instead described the island as a site of Japanese wartime atrocities. They claim that Korean laborers were forced to work under inhumane conditions.

In December 2024, NHK entered mediation. It acknowledged that some footage in Midori Naki Shima could not be confirmed as depicting Hashima. However, it did not issue a correction or apology until Inaba's meeting on March 26, 2025.

Former residents testify that the underground footage in the NHK program “The Island Without Green” is not from the Hashima Coal Mine. December 13, 2022, at the National Diet Building (©Sankei by Shimpei Okuhara).

The Way Forward

Inaba's apology was a meaningful step. But many questions remain. Why has NHK stayed silent in its own coverage? Why did other media have to report the apology first? And how will NHK prevent this kind of misrepresentation in the future?

As Saito noted in the Diet, "This is not just about Gunkanjima. It's about reclaiming truth in how Japan presents its history — both to its citizens and to the world."

For the aging former residents of Hashima, this fight has never been only personal. It has always been about protecting the dignity of their home — and their country — from being distorted by those who never knew it.

(Read the related article in Japanese.)

Author: The Sankei Shimbun