Japan to set up evacuation shelters on island near Taiwan by 2027
Defense
Tokyo steps up civil protection plans in preparation for potential armed conflict
Japan's Self-Defense Force personnels attend drills at Yonaguni Airport in Yonaguni Island, Okinawa, in 2024. © Kyodo
RYUTO IMAO
TOKYO -- The Japanese government will set up the country's first long-stay evacuation shelters on an island near Taiwan by the end of fiscal 2027 amid growing concerns over tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
The construction of the first such shelters -- designed to allow evacuees to stay for around two weeks -- will start in fiscal 2026 on Yonaguni Island, Japan's westernmost island and part of the Sakishima Islands chain. Following Yonaguni, similar shelters will be built on neighboring municipalities of Ishigaki, Miyakojima, Taketomi and Tarama.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
3 hours ago
Ishiba Visits Himeyuri Monument in Okinawa
News from Japan Politics Jun 23, 2025 19:04 (JST) Itoman, Okinawa Pref., June 23 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Monday laid flowers at a monument in the city of Itoman in the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa that was erected to remember the Himeyuri corps of female students who died in the Battle of Okinawa during the final phase of World War II. He was the first sitting prime minister in 13 years to visit the monument. "I visited this place with a desire for peace and the admonition that I must etch the misery of the war in my mind again," Ishiba told reporters. The visit by Ishiba, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, came after Shoji Nishida, an LDP member of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament, faced a public backlash for saying that exhibits about the Himeyuri corps were a rewriting of history. Earlier on Monday, Ishiba attended a memorial ceremony to remember people who lost their lives in the 1945 fierce ground battle in Okinawa. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Nikkei Asia
3 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Japan to set up evacuation shelters on island near Taiwan by 2027
Defense Tokyo steps up civil protection plans in preparation for potential armed conflict Japan's Self-Defense Force personnels attend drills at Yonaguni Airport in Yonaguni Island, Okinawa, in 2024. © Kyodo RYUTO IMAO TOKYO -- The Japanese government will set up the country's first long-stay evacuation shelters on an island near Taiwan by the end of fiscal 2027 amid growing concerns over tensions in the Taiwan Strait. The construction of the first such shelters -- designed to allow evacuees to stay for around two weeks -- will start in fiscal 2026 on Yonaguni Island, Japan's westernmost island and part of the Sakishima Islands chain. Following Yonaguni, similar shelters will be built on neighboring municipalities of Ishigaki, Miyakojima, Taketomi and Tarama.
Asahi Shimbun
3 hours ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Ceremony marks 80 years since end of Battle of Okinawa
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, right, and Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki arrive in Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture, on June 23 to attend a ceremony memorializing the victims of the 1945 Battle of Okinawa. (Hiyori Uchiumi) ITOMAN, Okinawa Prefecture—A solemn memorial service was held here on June 23 honoring the victims of the Battle of Okinawa, which ended here 80 years ago during the final stages of World War II. Held at the Peace Memorial Park, the ceremony was attended by Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki, who delivered a peace declaration, and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. The peace poem featured this year was read by Ibuki Shiroma, a sixth-grader from the neighboring city of Tomigusuku. His poem, titled 'Grandma's Song,' reflects on the sorrow behind a song his grandmother sings. Written after the war in the style of local folk music, the song portrays survivors of the Battle of Okinawa as 'leftovers from naval shelling,' highlighting the devastating U.S. assault that claimed the lives of one in every four residents of the prefecture. 'Leftover or whatever, I am truly glad you survived, however,' the poem went, drawing heartfelt applause from the audience. Tamaki reiterated the ongoing heavy burden Okinawa bears due to the concentration of U.S. military bases on the island. He also pledged to create an international peace research organization based in Okinawa, emphasizing the prefecture's vital role in promoting global peace. The ceremony was also graced by distinguished guests, including Izumi Nakamitsu, U.N. undersecretary general for disarmament affairs; and Shigemitsu Tanaka, co-chairperson of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), which received the Nobel Peace Prize last year. The Battle of Okinawa, fought over three months in 1945, resulted in the deaths of more than 200,000 people from both the Japanese and U.S. sides, including tens of thousands of civilians.
