Tanegashima (Japanese: 種子島) is an island being located at the south of the island of Kyushu to the Japan, and more precisely in the Préfecture of Kagoshima.

Geography

It is an island all in length (57,5 km X 10 km). It is with approximately semi-road between the port of Kagoshima, on the island of Kyushu and the island of Yakushima.

History

The island is the place where Fernão Mendes Pinto arrived at Japan in 1543. In fact this one was not there at the time of the first contacts between Portuguese and Japanese; however there came well on this island and would have been a woman and a child.

Portuguese negotiated there firearms (Arquebus S, which owe their Japanese name of tanegashima with the fact that they were introduced in Japan for the first time on this island), Savon, and other unknown products of medieval Japan.

Space launching center

Today, this island is especially known because it shelters the launching base of the Japanese rockets. Indeed, Tanegashima shelters the general headquarter of the Agence of Japanese Exploration aerospatiale. The space launching center is held in the south-eastern part of the island.