Cape Sōya

is the northernmost point of the island of Hokkaidō, Japan. It is situated in Wakkanai, Sōya Subprefecture. The is at the cape, although the true northernmost point under Japanese control is a small deserted island called Bentenjima, northwest. Since the cape is just away across La Perouse Strait from Cape Crillon, Sakhalin Island, Russia, it is possible to catch a glimpse of the island of Sakhalin on a clear day.

There are more than ten monuments at Cape Sōya, including the Monument of the northernmost Point of Japan, the Tower of Prayer (a memorial to Korean Air Lines Flight 007, shot down in 1983), a statue of Mamiya Rinzō, the Monument of Peace (a memorial to the sunken submarine , and others). Sōya Misaki settlement, east of the cape, has many facilities known to be "the northernmost in Japan", such as the northernmost lighthouse ( Cape Sōya Lighthouse), the northernmost filling station (Idemitsu Cape Sōya SS), the northernmost elementary school (Ōmisaki Elementary School), and so on.

Monument of Peace

On the site of Cape Sōya stands the Monument of Peace, a memorial to the , sunk with 80 men aboard on October 11, 1943, as well as 5 Japanese merchant ships sunk with 690 people, attacked by Wahoo. The inscription on the memorial reads in part:

The exact position of ''Wahoo'' was confirmed by a dive team from the Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd in July 2006.

Tower of Prayer

Cape Sōya is the location of another memorial, the Tower of Prayer. The monument, which is 19.83 metres tall and constructed from granite, stands in remembrance of the 269 people that were killed during Korean Air Lines Flight 007 on 1 September 1983. In the incident, the aircraft operating the flight was shot down by a Soviet Air Forces Sukhoi Su-15 interceptor near Moneron Island, roughly 98 kilometres to the north of the cape.

Climate

See also

* Extreme points of Japan

References

Gallery

Sunset of Cape Soya.jpg, Sunset
The_northernmost_point_of_Japan_monument_in_Soya_cape.jpg, Monument of the northernmost Point of Japan
Birdview of Cape Soya.jpg, A view from a hill nearby
Cape Soya Music Stone.jpg, The "Music Monument" which automatically plays the song ''Sōya-misaki'' each time a visitor stands in front
The Tower of Prayer.jpg, The Tower of Prayer, a memorial of Korean Air Lines Flight 007
Cape Soya Light Tower.jpg, Cape Sōya Lighthouse
Old Navy Observatory in Cape Soya.jpg, The observatory, used by the Imperial Japanese Navy to monitor the strait during the Russo-Japanese War
The gas station at the northernmost tip in Japan.JPG, Idemitsu Cape Sōya SS, the northernmost filling station
Wakkanai municipal Soya junior high school.JPG, Sōya Junior High School, the northernmost junior high school
Wakkanai municipal Oomisaki elementary school.JPG, Ōmisaki Elementary School, the northernmost elementary school
The Northern Stores around Cape Soya.jpg, Vista of "northernmost" shops
KAL Monument.jpg, The Tower of Prayer
File:Ohmisaki・kyu-kaigun-bourou 6260391史跡大岬旧海軍望楼.jpg, Old Navy Watch Tower (June 2006)
File:Cape Soya La Pérouse 20140813.jpg, La Perouse monument
File:Cape Soya satellite image 2009.jpg, Satellite image of Cape Sōya (October 2009)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cape Soya
Soya
Extreme points of Japan
Landforms of Hokkaido
Tourist attractions in Hokkaido