Latest news with #ImperialJapanese
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
China Reviving World War II Airfield in America's Backyard
A groundbreaking ceremony held on a remote Pacific island marked the start of a project—spearheaded by a Chinese state-owned company—to revive a World War II-era airfield. The project, launched on the atoll of Woleai in the Federated States of Micronesia, is approximately 400 miles south of Guam, a U.S. territory and military hub considered key to Washington's ability to project power in the Asia-Pacific. Micronesia is one of the South Pacific's Freely Associated States—along with Palau and the Marshall Islands—whose defense and broader stability is guaranteed by Washington. But with the U.S. prioritizing funding elsewhere, China has made inroads in this region through infrastructure projects. The islands lie along the so-called Second Island Chain, a string of islands Washington has long viewed as strategically important to containing a rising China in the event of a wartime scenario. Western analysts have raised concerns that this activity could eke away at the U.S. military's position in the Pacific, given Beijing's policy of military-civil fusion that enables the People's Liberation Army to co-opt these dual-use facilities. Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. State Department and Chinese Embassy in Micronesia with written requests for comment. The Woleai runway was built by Imperial Japanese forces during World War II, but has long fallen into disrepair due to lack of funding. The project was launched with fanfare Monday in a joint effort by China's Shandong Hengyue Municipal Engineering and Micronesia's Department of Transportation. Micronesian President Wesley Simina traveled in person to attend the ceremony. The airfield will be a major boon to locals, who currently rely on dayslong boat trips to reach the nearest airstrip. It's also expected to support health care, business development, and education in the region. Cleo Paskal, a non-resident senior fellow at the neoconservative think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that while $2 billion has been invested in Micronesia's Yap State, outer islands like Woleai have been neglected. "Getting to the groundbreaking of the Woleai runway reconstruction was only possible by traveling for four days on a transport ship from Yap—a ship provided by China aid. The president arrived on a patrol boat provided by Australia. The U.S. was nowhere to be seen," Paskal wrote in a social media post. "Tomorrow is Woleai's high school graduation. Don't expect to see any U.S. government representatives there either," she wrote. "The Chinese will be there though. Showing up is (more than) half the battle." Domingo I-Kwei Yang, assistant research fellow at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research, wrote in a recent report: "China aims to establish a Southern Link, connecting Asia and South America via Pacific strategic infrastructure hubs. Control over Pacific ports, airstrips, and ICT systems could serve dual-use purposes, enabling transit, logistics, and expanded influence in the U.S. backyard." The Pentagon said in its 2024 report on Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China [PRC]: "Since 2015, the PRC has probably viewed engagement and deliberate corruption in the Pacific Island countries as an opportunity to expand its regional influence, press countries to switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, increase influence with regional security forces, and advance the PRC's responsible great power narrative." Elsewhere in the Pacific, the U.S. military is reclaiming another World War II-era airfield on the island of Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands, part of efforts to bolster the Second Island Chain as its Chinese rival closes the power gap. Related Articles Satellite Photos Show British Aircraft Carrier Heading Toward PacificChina Denies Ukraine's Russia Weapons ClaimPhotos Show New US Missiles Sent to China's DoorstepChina Warns US Ally Over Plan To Take Back Strategic Port 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
China Reviving World War II Airfield in America's Backyard
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A groundbreaking ceremony held on a remote Pacific island marked the start of a project—spearheaded by a Chinese state-owned company—to revive a World War II-era airfield. The project, launched on the atoll of Woleai in the Federated States of Micronesia, is approximately 400 miles south of Guam, a U.S. territory and military hub considered key to Washington's ability to project power in the Asia-Pacific. Why It Matters Micronesia is one of the South Pacific's Freely Associated States—along with Palau and the Marshall Islands—whose defense and broader stability is guaranteed by Washington. But with the U.S. prioritizing funding elsewhere, China has made inroads in this region through infrastructure projects. The islands lie along the so-called Second Island Chain, a string of islands Washington has long viewed as strategically important to containing a rising China in the event of a wartime scenario. Western analysts have raised concerns that this activity could eke away at the U.S. military's position in the Pacific, given Beijing's policy of military-civil fusion that enables the People's Liberation Army to co-opt these dual-use facilities. Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. State Department and Chinese Embassy in Micronesia with written requests for comment. Satellite imagery captured by the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2 satellites on January 26, 2025, shows Micronesia's Woleai atoll and its disused airfield in the northeast. Satellite imagery captured by the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2 satellites on January 26, 2025, shows Micronesia's Woleai atoll and its disused airfield in the northeast. Copernicus What To Know The Woleai runway was built by Imperial Japanese forces during World War II, but has long fallen into disrepair due to lack of funding. The project was launched with fanfare Monday in a joint effort by China's Shandong Hengyue Municipal Engineering and Micronesia's Department of Transportation. Micronesian President Wesley Simina traveled in person to attend the ceremony. The airfield will be a major boon to locals, who currently rely on dayslong boat trips to reach the nearest airstrip. It's also expected to support health care, business development, and education in the region. Satellite imagery captured by a commercial airplane on July 9, 2023, and provided by Google Earth shows Micronesia's disused Woleai airfield, which was built by Imperial Japanese forces in World War II and bombed by... Satellite imagery captured by a commercial airplane on July 9, 2023, and provided by Google Earth shows Micronesia's disused Woleai airfield, which was built by Imperial Japanese forces in World War II and bombed by U.S. forces. More Airbus/Google Earth Cleo Paskal, a non-resident senior fellow at the neoconservative think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that while $2 billion has been invested in Micronesia's Yap State, outer islands like Woleai have been neglected. "Getting to the groundbreaking of the Woleai runway reconstruction was only possible by traveling for four days on a transport ship from Yap—a ship provided by China aid. The president arrived on a patrol boat provided by Australia. The U.S. was nowhere to be seen," Paskal wrote in a social media post. "Tomorrow is Woleai's high school graduation. Don't expect to see any U.S. government representatives there either," she wrote. "The Chinese will be there though. Showing up is (more than) half the battle." Groundbreaking ceremony today on Woleai, Yap, Federated States of Micronesia for (re)construction of Japanese World War II-era runway by Chinese company. FSM President Simina in attendance. Without a runway locals must travel days by infrequent boat to reach another runway. — Cleo Paskal (@CleoPaskal) May 26, 2025 What People Are Saying Domingo I-Kwei Yang, assistant research fellow at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research, wrote in a recent report: "China aims to establish a Southern Link, connecting Asia and South America via Pacific strategic infrastructure hubs. Control over Pacific ports, airstrips, and ICT systems could serve dual-use purposes, enabling transit, logistics, and expanded influence in the U.S. backyard." The Pentagon said in its 2024 report on Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China [PRC]: "Since 2015, the PRC has probably viewed engagement and deliberate corruption in the Pacific Island countries as an opportunity to expand its regional influence, press countries to switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, increase influence with regional security forces, and advance the PRC's responsible great power narrative." What's Next Elsewhere in the Pacific, the U.S. military is reclaiming another World War II-era airfield on the island of Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands, part of efforts to bolster the Second Island Chain as its Chinese rival closes the power gap.
Japan Times
29-04-2025
- General
- Japan Times
Items of an A-bomb victim who died the day he enlisted to be displayed
The personal belongings of a man who died at age 26 in the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima on the same day he joined the now-defunct Imperial Japanese military will be displayed at a relative's home from Tuesday. Michiko Takagaki, 79, decided to display the belongings of Takayoshi Tatara as this year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. "We have a responsibility as people who have survived until today," Takagaki said. "I had to do something." At 8 a.m. on Aug. 6, 1945, Tatara enlisted in a regional artillery replacement unit based in the city. Just 15 minutes later, an atomic bomb was dropped some 700 meters away. Tatara went missing in the aftermath of the bombing, but it was learned after the end of the war that he had temporarily sought refuge with severe burns from head to toe. His personal items were delivered to his relatives via the local government. Tatara's wife, 1-year-old daughter, father and older brother, who all had gathered to see him off, are believed to have been killed in the atomic bombing. None of their remains have been found, despite numerous search efforts by relatives. Takagaki, whose late husband, Tomomitsu, was a nephew of Tatara, will showcase Tatara's personal items for the first time at her home in the city of Fuchu, Hiroshima Prefecture, until May 18. The 40 or so items, which include a wristwatch and a notebook that Tatara is believed to have carried at the time, as well as a public notice calling him to the military, will then be donated mainly to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Takagaki had heard stories about Tatara from her late husband, but she was reluctant to share them with others. "It's not something that I can talk about easily," she said. But as she grew older, Takagaki decided to put Tatara's items on display while she still had the chance. "I wonder what things would've been like if (Tatara) had enlisted a day later," she said. "I hope people pick up his personal items and think about a life that was taken too early."
29-04-2025
- General
Items of A-Bomb Victim Who Died on Day of Enlistment to Be Displayed
Fuchu, Hiroshima Pref., April 29 (Jiji Press)--Personal belongings of a man who died at 26 in the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima on the same day he joined the now-defunct Imperial Japanese military will be displayed at a relative's home from Tuesday. Michiko Takagaki, 79, decided to display the belongings of Takayoshi Tatara as this year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. "We have a responsibility as people who have survived until today," Takagaki said. "I had to do something." At 8 a.m. on Aug. 6, 1945, Tatara enlisted in a regional artillery replacement unit based in the western Japan city. Just 15 minutes later, an atomic bomb was dropped some 700 meters away. Tatara went missing in the aftermath of the bombing, but it was learned after the end of the war that he had temporarily sought refuge with severe burns from head to toe. His personal items were delivered to his relatives via the local government. Tatara's wife, 1-year-old daughter, father and older brother, who all had gathered to see him off, are believed to have been killed in the atomic bombing. None of their remains have been found, despite numerous search efforts by relatives. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
25-04-2025
- Politics
S. Korean Court Orders Japan to Compensate in Comfort Woman Case
News from Japan Apr 25, 2025 22:26 (JST) Tokyo, April 25 (Jiji Press)--A South Korean court Friday ordered the Japanese government to pay compensation to the family of a former "comfort woman," who provided sex to troops of the now-defunct Imperial Japanese military, Japan's Foreign Ministry said. Similar rulings had been issued by Seoul Central District Court in January 2021 and Seoul High Court in November 2023. Following Friday's ruling by Cheongju District Court's ruling, Vice Foreign Minister Takehiro Funakoshi summoned South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee to the ministry in Tokyo to lodge a strong protest. The ruling goes against the principle of state immunity under international law, Funakoshi said. According to the ministry, he described the court judgement as "extremely regrettable" and "absolutely unacceptable." In a statement, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said that the ruling is "clearly contrary to international law and agreements between the two countries." [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
