The government has installed new defense facilities in succession on the Nansei Islands centered in Okinawa Prefecture apparently to counter China’s military buildup.

It is also moving to deploy long-range missiles capable of striking enemy targets there.

But the government is doing little to offer explanations to local communities, including about the risks involved. Nor is it making serious efforts to avert war through diplomacy or to protect the lives of local residents.

The government stance raises doubts whether these initiatives will actually help protect the lives and livelihoods of people on these islands.

The Ground Self-Defense Force on March 16 started operating a new garrison on Ishigakijima island in Okinawa Prefecture.

It is the latest addition to the list of new GSDF facilities in the southwestern islands.

A garrison opened on Yonagunijima island in Okinawa Prefecture in 2016. Camps on Miyakojima island, also in Okinawa Prefecture, and Amami-Oshima island in Kagoshima Prefecture both began operations in 2019.

A coastal surveillance unit is based on Yonagunijima, Japan’s westernmost island, just 100 kilometers from Taiwan. The GSDF has deployed guard and missile units on the other three islands.

The Defense Ministry says these facilities have plugged a hole in the nation’s defense network that had long been left open.

The SDF’s strategic pivot to southwestern Japan is primarily a response to China’s aggressive naval expansion.

The heads of the local governments involved, as well as the local assemblies, have decided to accept the facilities despite opposition among local residents.

In addition to cooperating with the national security policy, the local leaders and assembly members are believed to be looking for positive effects on efforts to stem the decline of the population and revitalize the local economy.

However, doubts and concerns are spreading among local residents, including those who supported the projects.

The reason is that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida decided late last year on a radical shift in the security policy, which includes acquiring the ability to strike enemy targets, or “counterattack capabilities.”

The Defense Ministry plans to extend the range of the domestically made Type 12 surface-to-ship missile from 200 kilometers to about 1,000 km.

The projectile is employed by the missile units on the three islands of Ishigakijima, Miyakojima and Amami-Oshima. It is likely that the upgraded, longer-range version will be deployed there.

The government has said the missile is “defensive equipment” to prevent an enemy from landing on Japanese territory.

However, the missile could become a target of enemy attacks once its range is extended to reach other countries.

The government has also announced that a new missile unit will be stationed on Yonagunijima.

The longer-range Type 12 missiles are expected to be primarily stored in the ammunition depots to be built in the city of Okinawa on Okinawa’s main island.

The government should not expand military facilities and capabilities on these islands without making efforts to win the support of local residents.

Meanwhile, the government has yet to develop plans to protect local residents in emergency situations.

On March 17, Okinawa Prefecture conducted the first tabletop exercise to evacuate about 110,000 residents of Ishigaki, Yonaguni and three other municipalities on the Sakishima Islands, as well as about 10,000 tourists, to Kyushu.

But many questions remain unanswered.

For example, will it be possible to quickly secure and safely operate the large numbers of aircraft and ships needed to transport all the people involved under a situation where they can become targets of enemy attacks?

How does the government plan to support evacuees’ lives possibly over the long term?

It is hardly surprising that local residents said that such evacuation operations cannot be realistically possible.

Fierce ground fighting occurred in Okinawa Prefecture during World War II, causing enormous civilian casualties. There is still the feeling that the Imperial Japanese Army failed to protect local residents.

The surest way to avoid the ravages of war is to prevent war from occurring. The central government needs to make all-out diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions in the region.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 19