KITA-DAITO, Okinawa Prefecture–The village mayor of this remote island in southernmost Japan has agreed to allow the Air Self-Defense Force to deploy mobile warning and control radar to track China’s growing military presence in local waters.
Mitsunori Onizuka formally conveyed the decision July 22 to Shingo Miyake, parliamentary vice minister for foreign affairs, who was visiting the village.
Kita-Daitojima island lies about 360 kilometers east of the main Okinawa island.
The radar deployment is intended to strengthen Japan’s surveillance of China’s military activities in the area.
The Okinawa Defense Bureau briefed islanders on the plan for the first time in July 2023.
It was officially announced last month by Defense Minister Minoru Kihara. The central government will acquire two sites, covering a total of 11 hectares, in the north and south sides of the village.
The sites will be used for a mobile warning and control radar, an explosives depot and a troop hall. About 30 ASDF personnel will likely be stationed on the island.
Defense Ministry has stated that the deployment will take place “as soon as possible.”
In 2021, the village assembly said it would welcome SDF deployment and voiced expectations for disaster response and emergency patient transport.
However, some residents expressed concerns during the briefing phase that the plan would lead to the deployment of missiles.
“I think that we have generally gained the understanding (of residents),” Onizuka said.
The mayor added, “I will carefully explain their concerns in a manner that does not cause anxiety.”
Tokyo has been beefing up its defense readiness in the sprawling Nansei Islands, including Okinawa, as part of its “southwest shift” policy to prepare for any contingency involving China.
This has resulted in the creation of new garrisons and deployment of SDF forces.
Some residents in the prefecture understandably resent the growing SDF presence which they view as a new burden for Okinawa, which already hosts about 70 percent of all U.S. military facilities in Japan.
In April, plans to develop a Ground SDF training site in Uruma in the prefecture were scrapped due to local opposition.
AloJapan.com