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Japan to Consider New Measures to Reinforce Defense of Okinawa’s Nansei Islands
Japan’s government and ruling parties are preparing to consider concrete measures to further strengthen the defense of the Nansei Islands, aiming to revise three key security documents earlier than planned amid rising regional tensions.
The move comes as China continues to intensify military activity around the Nansei chain, including repeated drills simulating an invasion of Taiwan. These developments have heightened concerns over Japan’s ability to swiftly evacuate residents and ensure the readiness of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) in a potential crisis.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi visited Okinawa Prefecture on Saturday for the first time since taking office, inspecting SDF and Japan Coast Guard facilities in Miyakojima and Ishigaki. “It’s important to strengthen the SDF’s defense capabilities to protect the lives and livelihoods of the people,” Koizumi told Miyakojima Mayor Noboru Kakazu, stressing the need for local cooperation.
Mayor Kakazu emphasized that residents must be fully informed about SDF activities, noting lingering concerns over evacuation plans should a Taiwan contingency occur. The government has already outlined a plan to evacuate residents of the Sakishima Islands to prefectures in Kyushu and Yamaguchi, with key airports and ports designated for SDF and Coast Guard use even during peacetime.
Upcoming discussions on revising security documents are expected to focus on extending airport runways, expanding port infrastructure, and constructing emergency evacuation facilities across the Nansei Islands.
“In a contingency, swift evacuation before any armed attack is vital,” Koizumi said in Ishigaki. “We aim to support the steady establishment of temporary evacuation facilities.”
