ban of Christianity by the Tokugawa shogunate in the 16th century. Following the repeal of the ban in 1873, a small church, the Nokubi Christian Church, was built on Nozaki. The remains of the villages on Nozaki are now included as the UNESCO World Heritage Site Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region. Demographics The population of Ojika peaked in the 1950s at roughly 11,000. Today the population of the island is rapidly decreasing, and is now around half the number as in the 1970s. The remaining islanders have largely gathered on the main island and abandoned some of the smaller outlying islands, such as Nozaki. Nozaki was abandoned by the six remaining families in 1971 after a pregnant woman died in childbirth with no doctor present due to stormy weather making the island inaccessible. In 2015, 46.4% of the population of Ojika was above 65 years old, compared to the national average of 26.8%, a common trend among other remote islands in Japan. The local government has promoted initiatives for "U-turn", where former residents return to the islands, and "I-turn", where newcomers settle on the islands from more urban areas, such as an agricultural school that guarantees free land use following graduation. Because of the stressed financial situation of the town, the local community discussed whether the town should merge with Sasebo, but ultimately decided not to do so and remain as a single town in April 2008. The island hosts the Ojika International Music Festival and Kids Camping Kingdom, as well as various other activities promoting sightseeing. Nozaki Island, though abandoned, has been developed as an eco-camp with a number of hiking trails. Nature programs targeted for elementary and junior high school students began in 2001, using a former school building as accommodation for these groups. Besides tourism, major industries include fishing and farming. A wide variety of Ojika's marine products are famous, such as chicken grunt, amberjack, beltfish, and abalone. The Ojika islands are one of the most important abalone fishing areas in Nagasaki Prefecture, with a tradition of abalone fishing dating back over 300 years. Major sights Akahama coast Ojika islands are made up of volcanic rocks, thus much of the coast consists of red sands. Chinokoujima Shrine Chinokoujima Shrine (地ノ神嶋神社) consists of a rare torii which is composed of three parts. Maegata Bay is adjacent to the shrine - a twin shrine, Okinokoujima, is directly