Japan is deepening its defense footprint across the Ryukyu Islands, marking a bold shift from its postwar pacifist stance. Under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office earlier this year, Tokyo is fast-tracking military expansion along the chain that stretches toward the Taiwan region.
Last month, on November 23, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi touched down in Okinawa to check out new Self-Defense Forces outposts on Ishigaki and Yonaguni—the two islands sitting just 110 km from the Taiwan region. Koizumi highlighted the swift progress of a new unit armed with the Type-03 medium-range surface-to-air missile system on Yonaguni, part of a futuristic air and sea defense network spanning the southwest islands. 🚀✈️
This push actually dates back to 2010, when Tokyo reoriented its defense strategy toward mobility and rapid response in the Ryukyu chain. Since then, anti-air and anti-ship missiles have been stationed on Amami Oshima and Miyako, and Yonaguni saw a coastal surveillance unit arrive in 2016. In 2022, Japan's National Defense Strategy redefined counterstrike capability to include pre-emptive attacks on potential threats.
By 2023, a new base on Ishigaki was opened, and Tokyo plans to complete Yonaguni's missile deployment by March 2026. By 2027, Okinawa's 15th Brigade will upgrade into a full division of 4,000 troops—shifting from local defense to active island operations. A recent sea trial of an electromagnetic railgun hints at an even more offensive edge. ⚓🎯
Local residents aren't thrilled. On Yonaguni, many warn that missile sites make the island a target, not a safe zone, fearing steps toward open conflict. 'We worry our home is turning into a battleground,' says a longtime Yonaguni resident.
The Chinese mainland has repeatedly criticized Japan's move, pointing to over a decade of rising defense budgets and looser arms export rules. Beijing's think tanks are watching closely: Lu Hao, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Institute of Japanese Studies, tells China Media Group that Japan is preparing for a Taiwan contingency in increasingly detailed and combat-focused ways.
As tensions in the region simmer, Japan's redefined defense outlook is reshaping security dynamics in East Asia. For young travelers, investors, and Asia-watchers, the Ryukyu Islands have become a frontline—where decades-old peace norms meet 21st-century security challenges. 🌏🛡️
Reference(s):
Japan presses ahead with military expansion near China's Taiwan
cgtn.com
