Ammunition Brought into New GSDF Camp on Ishigaki Island

   Ishigaki, Okinawa Pref., March 18 (Jiji Press)--Ammunition was brought into the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force's new camp on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture, southernmost Japan, on Saturday morning, following the arrival of missile launchers and other equipment there on March 5.
   The Maritime SDF's transport vessel Osumi that carried vehicles loaded with ammunition entered Ishigaki Port around 7 a.m. (10 p.m. Friday GMT). After that, dozens of vehicles arrived at Camp Ishigaki, which opened on Thursday.
   The ammunition is believed to include Type-12 surface-to-ship and Type 03 medium-range surface-to-air guided missiles, which will be handled by missile units deployed at the new camp.
   Trucks carrying cargo containers that were loaded with the ammunition passed through the Ishigaki city center before arriving at the camp one after another by around 11 a.m.
   About 30 protesters gathered at Ishigaki Port from early in the morning, shouting, "We don't need missiles." They tried to stop the vehicles from leaving the port by standing in their way but were displaced around 9:30 a.m. by riot police officers of the Okinawa prefectural police department.

(2023/03/18-14:08)

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