Okinawa holds tabletop evacuation drill with eye on Taiwan tensions

Defense

Transporting 120,000 residents takes about 6 days under current capacities

Residents of Japan’s Sakishima Islands, located near Taiwan, may need to be evacuated by air or by sea if a crisis erupts in the area. (Photo by Yumiko Urasaki)

YUMIKO URASAKI

January 31, 2025 03:03 JST

NAHA, Japan — Okinawa prefecture on Thursday conducted its third tabletop drill on evacuating residents of Japan’s closest island chain to Taiwan during a potential crisis in the region.