After Mizutani Shinroku applied for a lease of the island, the Ministry of Home Affairs named it Minamitorishima and requested a Cabinet meeting to place it under the jurisdiction of the Director of the Ogasawara Island Branch Office of Tokyo Prefecture. In the Cabinet meeting it was noted that although the island was a long distance from Ogasawara, making it difficult to recognize it as part of the Ogasawara Islands, there was no evidence of occupation by other countries, and that in the view of the fact that since December 1896 Mizutani Shinroku had been engaging in the relocation of settlers, building houses, catching birds and fish, and cultivating land, thus it recognized the so-called fact of occupation under international law, and decided to name the island located at 24 degrees 14 minutes north latitude and 154 degrees east longitude as Minamitorishima, and to place it under the jurisdiction of the Director of the Ogasawara Island Branch Office of Tokyo Prefecture. (Ref. 1)


This island had been previously known as Marcus Island and although an American citizen had raised their national flag there in 1889, Mizutani Shinroku launched business activities there in 1896, ultimately leading to the above Cabinet decision on July 14, 1898.

Ref.1：“Minami-Tori-shima placed under the jurisdiction of the Ogasawara Islands Office, Tokyo Prefecture,” Kobun Ruishu (Various Official Records Compilations), 22nd ed. (1898), vol. 2


Related documents
Ref.1：Tokyo Prefectural Notification No. 58 (July 24, 1898), “With regard to the naming of Minami-Tori-shima”