‘This place is dangerous’: Yonaguni, a Japanese island, living in fear over China-Taiwan tussle

Japan is rapidly militarising its Yonaguni Island near Taiwan, with plans underway to add a new missile unit and expand a small airport and port.

Yonaguni is a tiny island on Japan’s western frontier, approximately 108 kilometres from Taiwan’s east coast. Part of Okinawa Prefecture’s Yaeyama Islands, it has a small population of fewer than 2,000 residents.

The Japanese government has established military installations on the island, leading to mixed reactions among residents.

Though naturally appealing, the island is renowned for its beauty and unique attractions.

Divers are drawn to Yonaguni for the chance to see hammerhead sharks and explore the mysterious submerged rock formation known as the Yonaguni Monument.

While the military efforts are praised for enhancing security, environmental experts have raised concerns about their impact.

The island’s forested mountains now host radar sites, and a southern cattle ranch has been converted into the Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force’s Camp Yonaguni.

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Previously, Japan and the US also conducted joint military exercises on the island.

The military buildup has made Yonaguni a key frontline in a possible conflict over Taiwan, which China claims as its own.

“As a child, I was proud of this westernmost island,” said Fumie Kano, a local resident. “But now, we keep hearing it’s dangerous, and that makes me sad.”

The island’s population is feeling the effects of militarisation. Supporters argue that the arrival of troops improves security and boosts the weak economy. However, opponents like Kano worry it harms the environment, makes the island dependent on the military, and increases the risk of conflict.

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Yonaguni lies just 110 kilometres (68 miles) east of Taiwan, an area where China has increased its military presence. Concerned about a possible conflict, Japan has shifted its defence focus to the southwest, increasing military spending and troop deployment.

Missile units, including PAC-3 interceptors, have already been stationed on Yonaguni and the nearby Ishigaki and Miyako islands.

Locals caught in geopolitical tensions

Residents now find themselves caught in geopolitical tensions. A recent government plan to deploy more missiles, possibly long-range, has sparked concerns about the island’s future—even among those who initially supported the military presence.

Yonaguni native Kano recalls when officials and locals hoped to boost the economy and environment by establishing direct ferry links with Taiwan. However, this plan was abandoned in favour of hosting Japanese troops, which provided government subsidies and security.

The decision divided the community. A 2015 referendum approved the deployment of Japanese troops, placing the island’s fate in the hands of national security policy.

In 2016, a 160-member coast watch unit was established to monitor Chinese military movements, with radars installed on Mount Inbi and other locations. Today, around 210 troops, including an electronic warfare unit, are stationed on Yonaguni. Their families make up about one-fifth of the island’s population, and the local economy now heavily depends on them.

Many worry about the speed and scale of militarisation. “Everything is being done in the name of the Taiwan emergency, and many feel it’s too much,” says Kyoko Yamaguchi, a local potter.

Concerns grew further in October when a Japanese army tilt-rotor aircraft, the Osprey, crashed during a joint drill with the US military, although no fatalities were reported.

Japan, China increasing military presence

Japan’s air and naval forces in Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, play a crucial role in protecting the country’s southwestern airspace and waters.

The Southwestern Air Defence Force, based in Naha, is the busiest of Japan’s four regional air forces. In 2023, it was scrambled 401 times—about 60% of the national total of 669—mostly in response to Chinese activity, according to the Defence Ministry.

Japanese defence officials said that China has been increasing its military presence in the waters between Taiwan and Yonaguni.

Rising tensions in the region

In August, a Chinese Y-9 reconnaissance plane briefly violated Japanese airspace off the southern main island of Kyushu. This prompted Japan’s military to scramble fighter jets and issue a warning to the aircraft. A Chinese survey ship separately entered Japanese territorial waters off a southern island days later.

In September, the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning and two destroyers sailed between Yonaguni and nearby Iriomote, passing through a band of water just outside Japan’s territorial waters.

Locals living in fear

Yonaguni’s fisherfolk, who closely monitor foreign vessels, have been the first to notice increased Chinese military activity.

In 2022, following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, China fired several ballistic missiles during military drills. One missile landed just 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Yonaguni, where over 20 local fishing boats were working.

The fear of war over Taiwan revives painful memories of the Battle of Okinawa, where around 200,000 people—almost half of them civilians—lost their lives. Historians say the Japanese army sacrificed Okinawa to protect the mainland. Today, Okinawa’s main island still hosts over half of the 50,000 American troops in Japan.

To prevent history from repeating itself, Yonaguni must be strengthened, says Mayor Kenichi Itokazu, who has long advocated for more Japanese troops on the island.