Tokyo, Sept. 24 (Jiji Press)–The government of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to ramp up the country’s defense capabilities in its southwestern region following the election of a conservative governor in Okinawa Prefecture, southernmost Japan, for the first time in 12 years. The so-called Nansei shift is aimed at countering increased Chinese military activities, but some local residents are concerned that the region may become a target of attack. Nansei means southwest in Japanese. “Strengthening the defense system of the Nansei Islands is essential to protect Japan and the people of Okinawa,” Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo on Sept. 17 after being retained in a cabinet reshuffle. In the Sept. 13 gubernatorial election, Genta Koja, former deputy mayor of Naha, Okinawa’s capital, defeated incumbent Denny Tamaki. The victory is expected to spur the designation of airports and ports for use by the Self-Defense Forces and the Japan Coast Guard even in peacetime as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s defenses. The government has so far designated 57 facilities for such use across the country. In Okinawa, three facilities managed by the central and municipal governments have been added to the list, but Tamaki had been reluctant to approve designations for prefecture-run facilities such as Ishigaki Airport in the city of Ishigaki. Koja told reporters on Sept. 16 that he wants to “move forward” with the designations. The central government wants to add facilities, particularly on outlying islands. However, some locals have voiced anxiety over this plan. “We are opposed to military-civilian joint use,” a prefectural assembly member said. “There is a risk that (facilities) could become targets of attack.” Against the backdrop of Beijing’s maritime expansion, the Defense Ministry and the SDF have been strengthening their defense posture from the southern tip of the Kyushu southwestern region to areas around Yonaguni, Japan’s westernmost island in Okinawa. SDF units have been established on the islands of Yonaguni, Miyako and Ishigaki, all in Okinawa, since 2016. The Ground SDF’s 15th Brigade, based in Naha, is set to be upgraded to a division in March next year at the earliest, with its personnel strength increasing from about 2,300 to 3,900. The SDF plans to deploy on Yonaguni an antiaircraft electronic warfare unit aimed at disrupting the radar and communications of enemy aircraft during an invasion, as well as a medium-range surface-to-air guided missile unit by fiscal 2030. There is a proposal to deploy ground-launched, long-range Type 25 surface-to-ship guided missiles in Okinawa in the future as part of efforts to enhance Japan’s counterstrike capability, or the capability to strike enemy bases. A senior Defense Ministry official said that, while no decisions have yet been made on the plan, “it would definitely not have gained traction under the Tamaki governorship.” Nevertheless, Koja’s victory has not given the central government a free hand. With about 70 pct of military facilities exclusively used by U.S. forces in Japan concentrated in Okinawa and local residents having shouldered the heavy burden of hosting such bases for many years, public sentiment in the prefecture remains complex. “We will continue to engage carefully with municipalities, which are closest to local residents,” another senior Defense Ministry official said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
