Скачать или смотреть Strain, fear roil a tiny, rapidly militarizing Japanese island near frontline with Taiwan

(26 Feb 2025)

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4557362

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ASSOCIATED PRESS
Yonaguni, Japan - 14 February 2025
1. Various of radar facility in seen in the distance,
2. Various aerials of Yonaguni from inside the plane
3. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Fumie Kano, inn keeper: +SOUNDBITE STARTS ON PREVIOUS SHOT AND SLIGHTLY OVERLAID BY SHOT 4++
"I have always been proud of Yonaguni as a border island. But recently, I've been told that it's dangerous because it's a border island, and that makes me very sad.”
4. Monument marking the westernmost point of Japan,
5. Eastern coastline of Yonaguni
6. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Takako Ueno, shop manager: ++SOUNDBITE STARTS ON PREVIOUS SHOT ++
"I don't want them to see this wonderful island with the mindset of using it as a battlefield.”
7. Wide of fishing village, Kubura
8. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Kenichi Itokazu, Yonaguni mayor: ++SOUNDBITE STARTS ON PREVIOUS SHOT AND IS OVERLAID BY SHOT 9++
"This island has a lot of potential, which is why I believe more than anyone else that this island must never become a battlefield.”
9. Poster of Yonaguni island displayed inside town hall
10. Fishing boat returning
11. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Shigenori Takenishi, head of the fisheries cooperative: ++SOUNDBITE STARTS ON PREVIOUS SHOT AND IS OVERLAID BY SHOT 12 AND PARTIALLY BY SHOT 13++
++COMMENTING ON HOW AN INCREASE IN MILITARY ACTIVITIES COULD IMPACT FISHING++
"I think that if such exercises become more and more common, it will impact our fishing. Fewer people will go to the waters near there, and so naturally the catch will decrease too. It could become a critical issue for the fishermen.”
12. Lighthouse on edge of a cliff
13. Exterior of Japan military base
14. Japan's national flag seen from outside the base
15. Radar facilities set up by the military

STORYLINE:
The tiny island of Yonaguni on Japan's western frontier has no convenience store.

Nature lovers can dive with hammerhead sharks and watch miniature horses graze on a hill.

But the wooded mountain ranges now carry radar sites.

A southern cattle ranch has been replaced with the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force's Camp Yonaguni.

Japan and its ally, the United States, hold joint military exercises here.

Plans are underway to add a new missile unit and expand a small airport and port.

All of the build-up has cemented the island's role as a frontline in a potential clash over Taiwan, the self-governing democratic island that China claims as its own.

“As a child, I was so proud of this westernmost border island,” said Fumie Kano, an innkeeper on Yonaguni.

“But recently, we are repeatedly told this place is dangerous, and I feel so sad.”

The militarization has been especially felt as the island's population shrinks.

Supporters say new servicemembers arriving are needed for the island's safety and struggling economy.

Opponents like Kano say the military buildup is damaging the environment, making the island's economy dependent on the military and could provoke an attack.

Yonaguni is only 110 kilometers (68 miles) east of Taiwan, around which China has bolstered military activity.

Worried about a conflict, Japan has made a “southwestern shift” in its military posture and accelerated defense buildup and spending around the frontline.

Missile units for PAC-3 interceptors have been deployed on Yonaguni and nearby Ishigaki and Miyako islands.

A recent government plan to deploy more missiles, possibly long-range, has made many feel uneasy about the future of the island, even among those who initially supported hosting troops.




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