According to the Daily Mail, due to seismic activity, 24 shipwrecks have emerged from the water. These are transport ships from Japan that were captured by American forces during the Battle of Iwo Jima. They were moved to the western part of the island and used as breakwaters to protect other vessels.
In recent years, the seabed off the island has begun to rise due to seismic activity beneath Mount Suribachi, located on the island. Mount Suribachi is considered one of the most active volcanoes in Japan.
Shipwrecks emerging after seismic activity.
The Japanese government has listed Mount Suribachi, which stands at 169 meters, as one of the 10 most dangerous peaks in Japan.
Currently, Iwo Jima is closed to civilians after being returned to Japan by the United States in 1968. It now serves as a military base for the Japan Self-Defense Forces.
In 1945, more than 20,000 Japanese soldiers and nearly 7,000 American troops lost their lives in the Battle of Iwo Jima.
There are no residents living on Iwo Jima due to a large amount of unexploded ordnance still scattered across the 20.72 km2 island. Japan has no plans to remove this ordnance.
Iwo Jima is part of Japan’s volcanic belt located south of the Ogasawara Islands, approximately 1,200 km from Tokyo.
“The area of geological transformation has expanded to the surrounding regions of the island, indicating that volcanic activity has not diminished,” said Setsuya Nakada, director of the government’s Volcano Research Promotion Center, in an interview with All Nippon News.
According to Setsuya Nakada, there is a possibility of a major eruption occurring on Iwo Jima.
