Japan moves troops to island near Taiwan

Japan has deployed Ground Self-Defence Force (GSDF) units, including missile units, on a remote southern island near the disputed Senkaku and Taiwan islands, apparently in response to increased Chinese military activity in nearby waters.

Up to 570 GSDF members will be stationed at a newly established garrison on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture, with some assigned to land-to-ship and land-to-air missile units, Japan Times reports, citing the Defence Ministry.

Japan has been enhancing deterrence and response capabilities against China by building defence footholds on the Nansei Islands, a chain that stretches southwest from Kyushu toward Taiwan.

The GSDF set up garrisons on Yonaguni Island in Okinawa in 2016, and on the prefecture’s Miyako Island and Amami Island in Kagoshima prefecture in 2019 with missile units.

Japan pledged to strengthen its defence capabilities and improve infrastructure in the southwestern region when the government updated its defence policies, including long-term guidelines of the National Security Strategy, in December last year.

The GSDF deployment plan on Ishigaki Island has faced opposition from some local residents since it emerged around 2014, but the mayor said in 2016 that the city of Ishigaki would accept it.