To beef up defense capabilities, the government has pinpointed 14 civilian airports and 24 ports for upgrades and utilization by the Self-Defense Forces for training and emergencies.

However, the focus will be on whether the local governments managing these airports and ports will approve the expansions and upgrades as gaining the support of local residents is vital.

The government’s plan to strengthen airports and ports is primarily aimed at deploying troops and protecting citizens in the event of emergencies.

It is also considering a framework that will allow the SDF and the Japan Coast Guard to smoothly use these facilities for training and other purposes during peacetime after discussions with local governments.

Since the improvements of these facilities require applications to and agreements from local governments managing the airports and ports, discussions with these authorities have begun behind closed doors.

The government plans to include the costs related to the improvements in the next fiscal year’s budget, according to government sources. But the candidate sites have not been disclosed.

Around 70 percent, or 28 facilities (14 airports and 14 ports), of the 38 facilities are located in Okinawa Prefecture and the Kyushu region, as part of the “southwest shift,” a strategy to bolster the SDF in the Nansei islands to monitor China’s military buildup in the area.

In particular, many of the islands in Okinawa Prefecture have short runways and shallow ports, hindering the accessibility of fighter jets, destroyers and patrol ships to them.

The plan includes constructing a new port on Yonagunijima island, located about 100 kilometers from Taiwan.

Additionally, the development of Hateruma Airport in Haterumajima island, which currently does not have regular commercial flights, is also under consideration.

Multiple ports in the Hokkaido and Shikoku regions, including Kushiro Port and Takamatsu Port, have been selected due to the high probability of dispatching troops from these areas to the Nansei islands.

Hokkaido hosts a large number of troops, and Shikoku does not directly face China, Russia or North Korea.

Tsuruga Port in Fukui Prefecture, situated near a nuclear power plant, has also been considered as a candidate site as it’s likely to be used as an evacuation hub for Japanese citizens. 

The National Security Strategy, one of the three key national security documents formulated in December last year, includes the development and expansion of public infrastructure such as airports and ports as part of “enhancing domestic response capabilities with emergencies in mind.”

Subsequently, the government selected the candidate sites.

Currently, the SDF can prioritize the use of airports, ports and roads only during emergencies, based on the law concerning the use of specific public facilities.

Decisions regarding peacetime usage are, in principle, made through discussions with local governments and other facility management authorities.

LOCAL UNDERSTANDING, ATTACK RISKS

Using civilian airports and ports for SDF training during peacetime comes with challenges.

Expanding these facilities require negotiations with residents and landowners, and concerns about safety and noise often lead to local opposition.

“It could take a considerable time and budget to coordinate not only with local governments but also with nearby residents and other stakeholders,” said Tsuneharu Higuchi, a former professor of defense policy at Tokiwa University.

Higuchi said that airport staff may be forced to lead evacuations in emergencies, potentially eliciting strong opposition from labor unions.

The government claims that expanding airports and ports will enable mass transportation and be beneficial for protecting citizens.

However, Higuchi raised concerns whether upgraded facilities can really facilitate evacuations, saying, “Emergencies often begin with surprise attacks, so there is too little time to evacuate citizens.”

Furthermore, under the Geneva Convention, if an enemy nation attacks an airport or port that is shared by the SDF and a private company, the enemy is not in violation of the treaty.

Higuchi said that such facilities, being potential targets for attack, could lead to accusations of war crimes against Japan for using civilians as “human shields.”

“The dual use of facilities could lead to airports and ports being attacked because they are regarded as integrated with the SDF, which would rather increase the risk to civilians,” he said.

(This article was written by Eishi Kado, Kaigo Narisawa and Daisuke Yajima.)

14 airports listed to be improved for SDF use

Fukuoka Prefecture
・Kitakyushu Airport

Nagasaki Prefecture
・Nagasaki Airport
・Fukue Airport

Kumamoto Prefecture
・Kumamoto Airport

Miyazaki Prefecture
・Miyazaki Airport

Kagoshima Prefecture
・Kagoshima Airport
・Tokunoshima Airport

Okinawa Prefecture
・Naha Airport
・Miyako Airport
・Shimojishima Airport
・New Ishigaki Airport
・Yonaguni Airport
・Hateruma Airport
・Kumejima Airport

24 ports listed

Hokkaido
・Kushiro Port
・Tomakomai Port
・Muroran Port
・Rumoi Port
・Ishikari Bay New Port

Fukui Prefecture
・Tsuruga Port

Kagawa Prefecture
・Takamatsu Port

Kochi Prefecture
・Kochi Port
・Sukumo Bay Port
・Suzaki Port

Fukuoka Prefecture
・Hakata Port

Kumamoto Prefecture
・Kumamoto Port
・Yatsushiro Port

Kagoshima Prefecture
・Kagoshima Port
・Shibushi Port
・Sendai Port
・Nishinoomote Port
・Naze Port
・Wadomari Port

Okinawa Prefecture
・Naha Port
・Ishigaki Port
・Yonaguni New Port
・Hirara Port
・Nakagusuku Bay Port