As tensions with China reach their highest point in more than 10 years, Japan is accelerating its largest military buildup, placing the remote island of Yonaguni —home to just 1,500 residents — on the front line of a growing regional confrontation.
Sitting just 110 km east of Taiwan, Yonaguni marks the far southwestern tip of Japan, the end of an island chain that stretches north toward the country’s main islands over a distance roughly equal to the length of the California coastline. Ever since former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s 2022 visit to Taipei prompted China to fire missiles that landed near Yonaguni, Tokyo has pushed ahead with a rapid fortification of its southwestern defences, reported Bloomberg.
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According to the report, across the 160-island Ryukyu chain, Japan is deploying missile batteries, radar systems and ammunition depots, while also expanding major military assets on Kyushu, including F-35 fighter jets and long-range missiles.
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The buildup comes as Beijing steps up pressure on Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi over her recent remarks suggesting Japan might intervene militarily if China were to attempt to seize Taiwan. Last weekend, tensions spiked after a Chinese fighter reportedly locked its weapons-targeting radar on Japanese aircraft.
“China’s People’s Liberation Army is undoubtedly building up its ability to force Taiwan into submission,” Bloomberg quoted Koichi Isobe, a former lieutenant general in Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force, as saying.
“Japan, the United States, and other Western countries must show China their strong resolve to oppose any actions that seek to change the status quo,” Isobe added.
Buildup rattles locals Once better known for wild horses and diving sites, Yonaguni has transformed since the establishment of a military base in 2016. New housing blocks now accommodate troops, and about 30 additional personnel are set to join the nearly 230 already on site to accommodate an electronic warfare division, and more are expected to follow with the planned deployment of anti-air missiles.
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The buildup has rattled some residents. About 80 locals attended a recent community meeting seeking clarity on the government’s expanding plans.
While several voiced concerns about the risks that increased militarisation could bring, others argued that growing Chinese activity near the island leaves Japan with few options, reported Bloomberg.
“Right now we’re defenceless,” Bloomberg quoted Shigeru Yonahara, a car mechanic and town council member, as saying.
“We need the electronic warfare unit to disable threats like drones,” Yonahara added.
No policy shift on Taiwan Takaichi has insisted Japan has not altered its Taiwan policy, but her comments have again highlighted how closely Japan’s security is tied to events across the strait.
A 2015 reinterpretation of Japan’s pacifist constitution allows the Self-Defense Forces to aid allies — primarily the United States — if Japan’s survival is deemed at risk.
Security analysts say any US-led defence of Taiwan would almost certainly draw in Japan.
“If we decline the US request, that would mean the end o
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