1st Field Evacuation Drill Planned for Okinawa Remote Islands

Tokyo, April 2 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government and Okinawa Prefecture have decided to hold the first field drill to evacuate residents of the southernmost prefecture’s remote islands under the civil protection law, it was learned Thursday. With a Taiwan contingency in mind, the envisaged drill, to be held in January 2027, will include both tabletop exercises and field training, according to a government report at the day’s meeting of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The evacuation drill will be joined by the prefectural government and five Okinawa municipalities–the cities of Ishigaki and Miyakojima, the towns of Taketomi and Yonaguni, and the village of Tarama. All seven prefectures in the Kyushu southwestern region, as well as the western prefecture of Yamaguchi, which would all accept evacuees from the islands, will also take part in the drill. For the evacuation of residents of Okinawa’s remote islands, the government held tabletop exercises between fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2025. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]