Japanese Island Swarming With Cats to Draw Tourists

The elderly residents of a small Japanese island swarming with cats are hoping that their trademark animals will attract something they've been missing for years people.

The fishing village of Tashiro, known as Cat Island, has shunned dogs for centuries in the belief that cats invite a big catch.

The island's 100 residents, most of whom are aged well over 70, are hoping that cats will become a drawcard in a campaign to attract tourists and, hopefully, people who want to settle down here.

"You may think this place is so peaceful. But if there's a fire, there is nobody who can help put it out," said Yutaka Hama, 49, who leads the Tashiro tourism promotion group.

"I want young people to come. There are folks here who would teach them fishing," said Hama, who moved to Tashiro a few years ago and is now an inn operator and fisherman.

Hama's wife, Aiko, is by far the youngest woman here at age 37, with the second youngest woman in her 60s.

Besides dogs, there are lots of common sights in modern Japan that are absent from this island, from all-night convenience stores to traffic signals and children.

The human population has fallen ten-fold since 1960 as many moved to cities.

But a couple of years ago, Tashiro became famous as Cat Island when a television network introduced one of the moggies -- Jack the Lop Ear, a shabby white-and-black tom with a drooping left ear -- to the nation.