As long as China is moving forward with rapid military expansion and coercive activities under the policy of becoming a maritime power, it remains important for Japan to enhance its defense capabilities on the Nansei Islands for the mid- and long term.
The Ground Self-Defense Force has established new bases on Kagoshima Prefecture's Amami Oshima island and Okinawa Prefecture's Miyakojima island.
A total of 550 members of surface-to-air missile and surface-to-ship missile units, as well as a security unit, will be deployed to Amami Oshima island, while 380 security unit members will be stationed on Miyakojima island. The move is aimed at expanding the defense arrangements in the Nansei Islands following the 2016 deployment of the Coast Observation Unit to Yonagunijima island, Okinawa Prefecture.
The Nansei Islands stretch over 1,200 kilometers, but for many years the GSDF had been present only on the main island of Okinawa, making the region a "vacuum zone" in terms of security. For this reason, it is important to increase deterrence capabilities.
Since Japan's nationalization of the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture in 2012, Chinese government ships have become active in waters around the Senkaku Islands, prompting the government to take action.
According to figures released by Beijing, China's military spending is nearly four times that of Japan, and it is advancing the construction of aircraft carriers and the development of fighter jets.
Vigilance over the Chinese military's movements around the Nansei Islands cannot be neglected. It has become routine for Chinese Navy ships to pass through the Miyako Strait between the main island of Okinawa and Miyakojima island. The number of cases in which the Air Self-Defense Force scrambles its jets against Chinese military aircraft has also increased.
Equipment buildup needed
The newly deployed missile units will have the effect of restraining foreign military vessels and others from approaching the islands.
The Defense Ministry has begun building a base also on Ishigakijima island, but there has been opposition among local residents. The presence of the GSDF on the island could lead to a prompt response in the event of disasters. It is imperative to convey to local residents the significance of the unit deployment, in order to gain their understanding.
The GSDF has 140,000 members, the most personnel among the Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defense forces. With priority on the defense of the Nansei Islands, the GSDF is advancing the transfer of its capabilities. Thus GSDF units should be allowed to operate more flexibly.
The GSDF's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade was newly established last year at a Nagasaki Prefecture base for the purpose of retaking outlying islands. However, due to the delay in the deployment of Ospreys, which are planned to be used as transport aircraft, the brigade's area of activity will likely be limited for the time being. It is necessary to cooperate with the Maritime Self-Defense Force to establish the chain of command and means of transportation.
It is important to proceed with integrating the operations of the three self-defense forces and enhance their countering capabilities through joint military exercises with the U.S. military.
With an eye on protecting remote islands, the government is renovating its destroyer Izumo to enable fighter jets to take off from and land on the vessel. The government must steadily advance the improvement of defense equipment, through such means as building up Aegis-equipped destroyers with high warning and surveillance capabilities and ASDF stealth fighters.
Another task is how to respond to gray zone situations, which cannot necessarily be defined as an armed attack, such as an armed foreign fishing crew landing on a remote island. The SDF are urged to closely coordinate with the Japan Coast Guard, which is in charge of watching over Japan's territorial waters, and police among others.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 31, 2019)
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