<figure id="attachment_211736" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3187px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-211736"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="32955d2b"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2021/10/IMG_1210.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-211736" class="wp-caption-text">Cats gather in the grounds of a steel mill. It is said that dozens of kittens are born every spring and fall during the birthing season.</figcaption></figure>
On Ogishima Island in Tokyo Bay, cats are dying one after another.
This remote island, built in the 1970s, is an artificial island centered on the steel plant of JFE Steel. The island can only be crossed by an underwater tunnel, and only those who are related to the company are allowed to enter the island. The number of cats has gradually increased since the steel mill was first built, and there are now an estimated 1,000 cats living on the island, many of which are suffering from hunger. Mr. A, a former employee who worked there until last year, told us.
 &#8220;There were no restaurants on the island, so it was difficult for the stray cats to find food, and some of them even drank sewage mixed with dust from the steel mill to keep from starving. I felt so sorry for them that I fed them a few times. However, the company had installed surveillance cameras around the steel mill since 2004 and made the people who fed the animals write a letter of complaint. In fact, when I was caught, I was threatened with being banned from the island if I did it again.
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Unable to bear this situation, Ms. A asked for help from several animal welfare organizations, mainly Sachi Animal Support, in September this year. On September 17, the group submitted a letter of request to the president of JFE Holdings to deal with the cats, and by October 10, the company replied that they had started feeding and watering the cats at 28 locations on the island. However, Mr. Yuki Hamada, the representative of the group, pointed out that the problem was still unresolved.
 &#8220;According to a person who works on the island, there is only enough food for one fish per place, and it is doubtful whether sufficient measures are being taken.
 In fact, the steel mill will be closed in 2011. Even if the food problem is solved, if we don&#8217;t sterilize the cats and find foster homes for them, a large number of cats will be left behind and may starve to death in two years. In the first place, can we start now and get it done in time? &#8230;&#8230;&#8221;
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How does the company plan to deal with this issue? The spokesperson answered as follows.
 &#8220;We will ask the government for instructions, and if there are any shortages in feeding or watering, we will make up for it.
We must not let the dark future that awaits these cats become a reality.
<figure id="attachment_211734" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3150px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-211734"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="1447c332"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2021/10/aflo_118743235.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-211734" class="wp-caption-text">The Keihin area of the East Japan Steel Works of JFE Steel Corporation on Ogishima Island, a symbol of the Kawasaki Industrial Zone. It is 117 times the size of the Tokyo Dome.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_211733" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4292px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-211733"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="11ebd99e"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2021/10/IMG_1202.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-211733" class="wp-caption-text">A letter of apology written by Mr. A&#8217;s colleague. Several other employees who had been feeding the kittens also submitted similar letters to the company.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_211732" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2747px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-211732"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="448257c9"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2021/10/20201101_155010_20210924142802875s.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-211732" class="wp-caption-text">Newly born kittens are especially vulnerable to crows. Flocks of crows have been spotted attacking the cats on the island.</figcaption></figure>
From the November 5, 2021 issue of FRIDAY

 Afro

 Ohgishima Island in Tokyo Bay is an artificial island centered on the steel mill of JFE Steel Corporation. On this island, which is off-limits to the general public, a large number of stray cats have been breeding. Currently, an estimated 1,000 cats are living on the island, many of which are starving.

 Stray cats breed in large numbers on a man-made island off-limits to the public. Their small cries are drowned out by the noise of the industrial area.

The Fate of 1,000 Stray Cats Living on a Remote Island in Kawasaki City

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