<P> It was estimated that landing of tourists would only be feasible for fewer than 160 days per year because of the area's harsh weather . For reasons of cost - effectiveness the city considered cancelling plans to extend the visitor walkway further--for an approximate 300 metres (984 feet) toward the eastern part of the island and approximately 190 meters (623 feet) toward the western part of the island--after 2009 . A small portion of the island was finally reopened for tourism in 2009, but more than 95% of the island is strictly delineated as off - limits during tours . A full reopening of the island would require substantial investment in safety, and detract from the historical state of the aged buildings on the property . </P> <P> The island is increasingly gaining international attention not only generally for its modern regional heritage, but also for the undisturbed housing complex remnants representative of the period from the Taishō period to the Shōwa period . It has become a frequent subject of discussion among enthusiasts for ruins . Since the abandoned island has not been maintained, several buildings have collapsed mainly due to typhoon damage, and other buildings are in danger of collapse . However, some of the collapsed exterior walls have been restored with concrete . </P> <P> Japan's 2009 request to include Hashima Island, along with 22 other industrial sites, in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list was initially opposed by South Korean authorities on the grounds that Korean and Chinese forced laborers were used on the island prior to and during World War II . North Korea also criticized the World Heritage bid because of this issue . </P> <P> A week before the beginning of the 39th UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC) meeting in Bonn, Germany, Korea and Japan came to a compromised agreement that Japan would include the use of forced labor in the explanation of facilities in relevant sites and both nations would cooperate towards the approval of each other's World Heritage Site candidates . </P>

Hashima island a place to explore the real forgotten world off the coast of japan