Inside Japan’s Haunted Ghost Island Where 1,300 Workers Died (Video)

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Inside Japan’s Haunted Ghost Island Where 1,300 Workers Died (Video)

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Apr 21, 2026 4:01 PM ET

Off the coast of Japan’s Nagasaki Prefecture, there’s a ghost island – a totally abandoned landmass filled with disintegrating buildings, and zero people.

Hashima Island was once a hotbed for industry. During the Meiji Restoration, or the rapid industrialization of Japan in the 1800s, Hashima Island was known for its undersea coal mines. And so, people got to work mining. By 1959, there was a peak population of 5,259 people; then, by 1974, the coal reserves were depleted. And everyone left the island.

Now, it’s a remnant of the past, a forsaken land used for sightseeing and, fun fact, a few scenes in the James Bond film Skyfall. Hit play below to learn more about Hashima.

In fact, due to all the forced labor during WWII on the island from thousands of Korean and Chinese workers, Hashima garnered sinister nicknames like “Hell Island” and “Prison Island.” Upwards of 1,300 laborers on the island perished due to accidents, exhaustion, malnutrition, and disease, according to historians.

And because of all that death, some think the island is haunted.

“Today, Hashima stands as a haunting reminder of industrial ambition and human suffering,” News18 reports. “Visitors encounter crumbling concrete blocks, rusted objects, and structures battered by natural disasters. Locals and tourists alike speak of ghostly presences, believed to be the spirits of workers who lost their lives there.”

As for the scene in 2012’s Skyfall, Hashima serves as the secret, private island hideout of Bond’s nemesis for that installation of the franchise: Raoul Silva (played by Javier Bardem). It has a distinctly creepy feel to it, perfect for a Bond villain.

Despite its abandonment and dark history, Hashima is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, since the island, “illustrates the process by which feudal Japan sought technology transfer from Europe and America from the middle of the 19th century and how this technology was adapted to the country’s needs and social traditions. The site testifies to what is considered to be the first successful transfer of Western industrialization to a non-Western nation."

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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