Iki: An Island Committed to the SDGs. The Challenge of Ensuring Remote Islands Are Not Left Behind (Part 1)

Iki Island, floating in the Genkai Sea, is a remote island of Nagasaki Prefecture located between Kyushu and Tsushima. Measuring approximately 17 km north-south and 15 km east-west, Iki Island, like Tsushima, has long served as a bridge connecting the Korean Peninsula and Kyushu. Iki City, embracing the SDGs across the entire island, continues pioneering challenges ahead of the rest of Japan.

In the second installment of this series, we featured Mr. Hisanori Tayama, representative of the general incorporated association "Marine Habitat Iki," which conducts Leaf Ball demonstration experiments and promotion activities in Iki City. The strong momentum for SDGs across the entire city of Iki is undoubtedly a significant tailwind for advancing these demonstration experiments. For the third installment, we spoke with Michihiro Shinozaki, Manager of the SDGs Future Division at Iki City Hall, about these city-wide initiatives. The interviewer is Takashi Fuji, who works on carbon neutrality and blue carbon at Dentsu Inc. This interview will be presented in two parts.

Confronting the Island's Super-Aging Population, Often Called "Japan in 25 Years"

Fuji: Iki City was selected as an "SDGs Future City" by the Cabinet Office in fiscal year 2018. This program invites municipalities to propose initiatives actively advancing SDG achievement, selecting those that create new value across economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Why did Iki City decide to pursue this "SDGs Future City" designation in the first place?

Shinozaki: I believe this is not solely Iki's problem but a challenge for all of Japan. The most significant issue is undoubtedly population decline. Iki City is said to be at the level of a "super-aged society" that Japan will reach in 25 years. Feeling a sense of crisis about this situation was one trigger. While some population decline is inevitable, the question is: what can we do? Projections indicate that at the current rate, the population of 24,622 as of the end of June 2023 could drop by about 5,000 by 2030 – a rather shocking estimate. Iki City was originally formed by the merger of four towns, and this decline would have an impact equivalent to losing one of those towns. In this context, the city must proactively increase the number of people actively engaged in Iki's future and ensure the city can survive and thrive even as the population declines. Amidst this, a movement emerged to fully commit to the SDGs.

Fuji: As you mentioned, population decline is a challenge faced by rural areas throughout Japan. Were there any issues unique to Iki within this broader context?

Shinozaki: Iki Island lacks higher education institutions like universities. Consequently, after graduating high school, most people leave the island. It became the norm for over 90% of high school graduates to leave immediately after graduation and never return. This led to a complete hollowing out of the younger generation and child-rearing age groups. Actually, while Iki's birth rate isn't particularly low, the island's population base is so small that the decline in the younger generation shows no sign of stopping. In the past, agriculture thrived on Iki, and since each household owned farmland, it was sometimes possible for the eldest son to leave the island temporarily and then return later to inherit the farmland. However, this is now a rare case; most people who leave the island find employment and settle permanently elsewhere. Halting population decline under these circumstances is quite difficult, but we aim to address it by increasing the number of people visiting and those with ties to the island, thereby creating a flow of people.

Smart Agriculture, Citizen Dialogue, and Environmental Education as Three Pillars

Fuji: Since being selected as an "SDGs Future City," what specific initiatives have you been advancing?

Shinozaki: At the time of this selection, Mayor Hirokazu Shirakawa's message was driven by a strong conviction: "If the principle of the SDGs is 'leaving no one behind,' then remote islands should not be left behind either." And in 2018, the first year of the "SDGs Future City" initiative, we were the only remote island selected.

Being selected as an SDGs Future City also led to the creation of the specialized department I now belong to, the "SDGs Future Division." Initially, awareness of the SDGs was quite low, so raising awareness became the division's primary mission. Of course, being selected didn't mean everything changed dramatically overnight. We started by thoroughly spreading awareness of the SDGs among citizens and promoting understanding.

From there, we expanded into various initiatives. One key focus is smart agriculture. Agriculture is a vital industry on Iki, but the aging of farmers is a significant challenge. Therefore, we are utilizing IoT and AI to make it easier for older farmers to continue farming and to lower the barriers for young people who want to start farming, making it easier for them to take the plunge. We are advancing these initiatives with a clear focus on the challenge of how to save labor, reduce workloads, and simultaneously increase yields. Alongside this, we are also promoting sixth-sector industrialization initiatives across the entire island, not just production. We are incorporating various cutting-edge technologies, focusing on processing industries, and promoting local products. This includes product development incorporating ideas from high school students, actively bringing young people's ideas to life.

Shinozaki: Second, we hold "Citizen Dialogue Sessions" three to four times a year, placing great importance on direct communication with residents. We listen carefully to citizens' voices and incorporate them into policy. Simultaneously, we explain the city's perspective and the SDGs, creating numerous opportunities to align our shared goals.

The third initiative is promoting environmental education. While we originally offered programs for junior high students, we've now expanded our target audience to include elementary through high school students. We believed education was paramount for addressing environmental issues even before being selected as an "SDGs Future City." Since 2009, we have established the "Iki City Global Warming Prevention Measures Council." As part of our global warming countermeasures, citizens, businesses, and the administration collaborate to advance concrete initiatives. Within this framework, we have focused intensively on environmental education.

We put a lot of thought into our educational programs. For example, our program for junior high school students is designed to prompt children to ask their parents about environmental issues. This approach is based on the concept of nudging – a behavioral science technique that uses various triggers to influence people's decision-making and encourage behavioral change. When children ask questions, parents tend to think seriously and try to answer. Through this process, the parents' generation naturally becomes more conscious and changes their behavior. That's the method we've adopted.

Japan's First "Climate Emergency Declaration" by a Local Government

Fuji: Using children as the starting point to change adult awareness and behavior is an interesting approach. Often, directly messaging adults doesn't yield visible results, so I found this initiative very innovative. Furthermore, Iki City has taken highly advanced steps, such as being the first municipality in Japan to issue a "Climate Emergency Declaration." What prompted this declaration?

Shinozaki: As you mentioned, the "Climate Emergency Declaration" was passed and approved at the regular city council meeting in September 2019, making us the first municipality in Japan to issue such a declaration. This decision was driven by the fact that climate change has become a critical global issue. Iki City itself has experienced numerous weather-related disasters linked to global warming, and in the fishing industry, catch volumes have visibly decreased year after year. According to those in the fishing industry, rising sea temperatures due to global warming have drastically altered marine conditions, significantly reducing the seaweed beds that serve as fish habitats. In agriculture, crucial rainfall has failed to materialize when needed, creating drought-like conditions that damage crops. We recognize this as a truly critical situation for Iki, where primary industries are vital.

Furthermore, being selected as an "SDGs Future City" provided a major catalyst by connecting us with various companies and organizations. Their encouragement also played a part in leading to this declaration.

In Part 1, we discussed Iki City's policies, which have proactively addressed social challenges like population decline, aging, and climate change by engaging with the SDGs early on. In Part 2, we will hear about the city's external collaborations to advance sustainable initiatives and its future vision.