SDF Presence Grows in Okinawa amid China Threat; Locals Wary

SDF Presence Grows in Okinawa amid China Threat; Locals Wary

Coast surveillance unit members participate in an event in April 2017 to commemorate the first anniversary of the opening of the Yonaguni camp of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force in Okinawa Prefecture.
Coast surveillance unit members participate in an event in April 2017 to commemorate the first anniversary of the opening of the Yonaguni camp of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force in Okinawa Prefecture.

   Tokyo, June 24 (Jiji Press)--While Okinawa Prefecture marks 80 years since the end of the intense fighting there in the late stage of World War II, Japan's Self-Defense Forces is boosting its presence in the nation's southernmost prefecture amid China's increasing military activities.
   Japan's Defense Ministry has launched new units in and around the island prefecture in the past decade, in a bid to counter China's threats, and there is a possibility of long-range missiles being deployed to Okinawa in the future. Locals worry that the prefecture may once again become a battleground in the event of a contingency.

   Defense Vacuum

(2025/06/24-16:24)

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