JG8NQJ/JD1 – Marcus Island – Minami-Torishima Islands

For example, JG8NQJ will become active again from Marcus Island, IOTA OC – 073, Minami-Torishima as JG8NQJ/JD1 starting on June 20, 2024.
He will operate primarily on the HF bands CW, FT8 at 18 and 21 Mhz.
Nearest DX Point JG8NQJ/JD1
QSL passes JA8CJY, LOTW.
Direct QSL Advertisement: Susumu Sanada, 5-4-5-17, Shin-Ei, Kiyota, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 004-0835, Japan DXCC DXCC National – Minami-Torishima.
QTH Positioner – QL64xg.
WAZ Zone – CQ 27.

JG8NQJ/JD1 Marcus Island Minami-Torishima Islands News May 12, 2023

For example, JG8NQJ/JD1 is scheduled for QRT on May 20, 2023.

Marcus Island and Minami-Torishima: Isolated islands hidden in the Pacific

Minami Torishima is a triangular island located in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Its name comes from Japanese, meaning “South Torishima”. Its other name is Marcus Island.

Creatures of the surrounding oceans

This small island not only has a legendary story, but also has some very unique factors that make it an ideal place for marine research. It currently houses a meteorological research station that studies typhoons and has an extensive coral reef ranging from 100-1000 feet. The middle of the island is 3 feet below sea level and it produces some of the most exotic seafood such as seaweed, giant squid, and swordfish. The depth of the ocean surrounding the island is perfect for divers as it reaches depths of 3000 feet below.

The importance of this land is that it lies on the Pacific Plate, just across the Japan Trench. It is Japan’s easternmost territory, a mere 1km long strip of land with no civilian inhabitants. Crucially, this gives Japan an exclusive economic zone of 165,000 miles in this body of water. This claim of ownership is a story in itself.

Discovery and transfer of ownership

The island was first mentioned by a Spanish captain named Andres Arriola in 1694. He marked it on his map as Sebastian Lopez in honor of his admiral, who was a great hero in the battles against the Dutch. For 200 years, the island’s location remained unknown.

In 1864, an American ship mentioned the island and named it Marcus Island, which is its current name. In 1874, an American survey ship recorded its location, but unfortunately, the land claim made in 1889 was never recognized. It was for this reason that the Japanese were able to annex the land from the Americans in 1898 and officially renamed it Minami Torishima.

The ownership of the island was transferred between Japan and the United States several times between 1902 and 1968. During World War I, the United States even sent planes to the island, thinking it belonged to them, only to discover that the Japanese were living there and had several patrol ships.

In 1968, after some confusion, the island was finally returned to Japan, where it remains today.

The Great Islands Dispute of 1902

In 1889, a captain named James Rosehill arrived at what he called Marcus Island. He intended to harvest coconuts, but instead found guano deposits in the caves that he could sell to Hawaii. He planted an American flag on the top of a coconut tree and attached a note stating that the land was now U.S. property.

At that time, the island had become part of the Ogasawara Islands and was occupied by Japan. Therefore, when he decided to go ahead with his plan to own the island, it unfortunately sparked a dispute between the United States and Japan. Subsequently, the situation took a turn for the worse, and the two countries were forced to engage in a military showdown.

Captain Rosehill said that the Japanese claim to the island was unfair because there were no real residents on the island, only immigrant traders, fishermen and illegal bird hunters. This approach backfired in Japan’s favor. They are now able to claim sovereignty over Japanese territory based on the activities of invaders on the island. At the same time, they also claim that they have no relationship with the Japanese government to maintain their innocence.

This is how the Japanese were able to seize Marcus Island and expand their territory at sea. They renamed the island and ensured that the ownership issue would never be raised again.

Current use of the island

A lot has happened to this island since its days as a fishing ground. Due to its remote location, it now has a radio station and a weather observation center. It is even considered an independent country in amateur radio awards.

The island has only one runway, which is not suitable for large aircrafts to take off and land. It is mainly used for fishing and scientific research. Civilians are not allowed to enter the island, and the main residents are scientific researchers and Japanese special forces.

The most fascinating thing about this island is the discovery made in the last two years. There are so-called rare earth metals there, which can be used to generate electricity. China owns 90% of that market and sells 60% of it to Japan every year. They discovered that these rare earth metals can be found near this island, and they ended up finding 6.8 billion tons. To put it in perspective, at Japan’s current consumption, these rare earth metals are enough to supply Japan for the next 200 years. This is by far the biggest benefit this island provides to Japan, as Japan’s consumption is increasing every year.

I find it amazing that this island shaped like a corn flake has so much unknown history. It shows that there is so much out there that we have yet to discover. If the US had known about these rare earth minerals a century ago, they might have put up a bigger fight. Now the Japanese can benefit from this little island that seemed to be worth nothing more than studying and tasting its exotic seafood.

The inside story of Minami-Torishima and its ownership and all the battles that followed is a closely guarded secret. This tiny Pacific island, which can be circumnavigated in 45 minutes, may hold the secret to solving the world’s energy crisis and how to overcome it.

JG8NQJ/JD1. Where is Marcus Island located. Map.