With No Workers, Japanese Island Loses Its Cell Phone Store

Continued worker shortages in Japan are robbing the island of Ishigakijima of its sole Docomo cell phone store.

Japan’s declining population is making it harder for businesses to stay running. The latest victim: a cell phone store on an Okinawan island that residents say was more than just a cell phone store.

Not just a Docomo store

NTT Docomo, Japan’s largest cell phone carrier, announced that it will be closing its Yaeyama store on the island of Ishigakijima on June 30th.

It’s not just a Docomo store, though: it’s the southernmost Docomo store in all of Japan. Additionally, it’s Ishigakijima’s only Docomo store.

Ishigakijama, in Okinawa Prefecture, is part of the Yaeyama Archipelago. The island of barely 50,000 people, which lies closer to Taiwan than to any of the main Japanese islands, boasts a year-round average temperature of 24.3 degrees Celsius and boasts a beautiful coastline

In other words, it’s an idyllic place to visit or even live. Unless, it seems, you need help with your cell phone.