In 1936
Toyosaku Kawanami bought the Matsuo Shipyard in Kōyagi and transformed it into one of the largest in the Far East. During
World War II, a
POW camp, Fukuoka #2 was located in Kōyagi and the prisoners were forced to work in brutal conditions in the factories. However, soon after the war was over Kawanami was forced to close the factories due to a shortage of money. ⟨⟩⟩ In 1967,
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries acquired the old shipyard facility and started a process of development to create the largest dock in Japan. Completed in 1972, the construction created vast areas of land which attached the island to the mainland. On March 27, 2011 the Iōjima Bridge was opened to link Kōyagi with the nearby island of
Iōjima. This two-step process involves construction of a tunnel from the Eri area to the southern side of the town to link with a new bridge connecting the towns. == References ==