About 50 people including island residents attended the graduation ceremony at Oteshima Junior High School held on March 14, 2023.
Located 15 kilometers off the coast of Kagawa Prefecture in western Japan, Oteshima Island, part of Marugame City, has an area of 0.6 square kilometers and a coastline of about 3.8 kilometers, and is home to about 34 people. Although fishing is the main industry, the island is facing an aging population, and schoolgirl Akino Imanaka is the only resident under the age of 18.
Akino Imanaka gets emotional at her graduation ceremony dedicated to herself.
Looking back on the past nine years of school, Imanaka said: "Everything happened so quickly. I am so grateful that I was able to enjoy my school life thanks to the support of my teachers, family and the people on the island."
Five teachers, a few role-playing students
There are five teachers at Oteshima Junior High School, and some of them act as students so that Imanaka can exchange ideas with others during class. Once a week, Imanaka visits a junior high school outside the island for a "study exchange."
"I was usually alone at school so I felt lonely sometimes. But I was able to take on the role of student council president and visit many places as a representative of the school so it was a good experience," Imanaka said.
The 58-year-old principal praised Imanaka, saying: "She is kind and sincere. She has studied hard and shown amazing progress over the past three years."
Akino Imanaka takes a commemorative photo with her family, teachers and islanders at her graduation ceremony.
Oteshima Junior High School was founded in 1914 as a branch of Teshima Elementary School. At its peak in 1964, there were 91 elementary and middle school students, but the numbers have gradually decreased.
The junior high school closed in 2013 when Imanaka's sister graduated, but reopened in 2020 when Imanaka enrolled. It will close again from the 2023 school year.
"The island is like one big family"
Imanaka's father Nobuyoshi, 65, and mother Tami, 54, make a living mainly by catching octopus. "We were provided with everything Akino needed to grow up," Tami told the Mainichi Shimbun.
Tami said the appeal of Oteshima is that “the island is like one big family.” The locals have always looked after her daughter, such as bringing Imanaka food when she had a fever. From April, Imanaka will attend a high school outside the island and live with her sister and brother-in-law in Kagawa Prefecture.
According to the Basic School Survey of the Ministry ofEducation , Culture, Sports, Science and Technology for the 2022 school year, 2,066 of Japan's 19,161 elementary schools and 1,033 of Japan's 12,012 junior high schools have fewer than 50 students.
Dieu Anh (Source: Mainichi)
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