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Updated Saturday, November 19, 2011 0:19 am TWN, The China Post news staff

Yonaguni Island, the westernmost point of Japan, is likely to see the deployment of self-defense troops by 2015, due to the increasing Chinese military power, as reported by the ...

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Japan to deploy forces near Tiaoyutais

Japan is planning to deploy self-defense troops on the country's westernmost Yonaguni Island (與那國島) in order to strengthen the defense of the southwest islands, according to a Nov. 17 report by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK).

Threatened by the People's Republic of China's (PRC) growing military strength, Japan saw the necessity to fortify the defense in its southwest islands, the national broadcaster reported on Tuesday. The Japanese Ministry of Defense plans to budget 1.5 billion yen (about NT$600 million) for the deployment of members of its Self-Defense Forces to Yonaguni Island while monitoring structures are built, the report said.

Japan's Defense Ministry conducted a briefing with Yonaguni residents on Friday, explaining its plan and the reasons behind choosing Yonaguni — the island is on the border and possesses comprehensive social infrastructure. The residents in support of the policy welcomed the Self-Defense Forces for the increased security they believed it would bring, while those against the idea claimed that the peace of Yonaguni would be disturbed.

If budgets pass and land acquisition goes smoothly, the deployment of the forces would be complete by 2015, the broadcaster concluded.

In response, Taiwan's Deputy Defense Minister Andrew Yang (楊念祖) said the nation “will be watching the Yonaguni deployment reports closely so as to prepare effective responses.”

While the Yonaguni Island is part of Japan's Okinawa prefecture, it actually lies closer to Taiwan — about 111 km east of Hualien — than to the main island of Okinawa.

The Defense Ministry respects any decision Japan makes on the deployment of military forces on its territory, Yang said, but will continue to monitor all related developments.

Yonaguni is close to the Tiaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), a region said to be rich in oil deposits, which is controlled by Japan but also claimed by Taiwan and China. The competing claims have led Japan to focus more maintaining its claim to sovereignty over them and other islands in its southern flank.

In 2010, the Japanese seizure of a Chinese fishing vessel for trespassing in seas near the Tiaoyutais set off a major row between the two nations.

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Comments

November 19, 2011 cloggedwithguts@

This is a rather provocative gesture...a new bully emerges.

November 20, 2011 joehope22@

We keep reading that the Tiaoyutai Islands and the South China Seas are rich in oil. Says who? Where is the proof? I get the feeling that certain nations are using fake reports as an excuse to bash each other around.