Two new island cities born March 1 through municipal administrative mergers aim to use their geographical and historical heritages to attract tourists, and, for one, troops.

One of the new Nagasaki Prefecture cities, Tsushima, incorporated the municipalities on a cluster of islands of the same name close to South Korea.

The other, Iki, on an island 50 km away, is rich in historical sites, including one mentioned in a third century Chinese historical account.