TOKYO - Japan is likely to see smoother sailing in its efforts to bolster its defenses in its southwestern region after the new Okinawa governor, who is more supportive of the state's security plans than his predecessor, takes office Wednesday.
Concerned by China's assertive behavior near Japan's southwestern islands and Taiwan while also facing demands from its security ally the United States, Tokyo in recent years has been beefing up defenses on the Nansei Islands, a strategically important chain of islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu toward Taiwan.
But the state had long faced opposition over the buildup from incoming Okinawa Gov. Genta Koja's predecessor Denny Tamaki, who cited the burden on residents in a prefecture that already hosts the bulk of the U.S. military presence in Japan. Tamaki, who took office in 2018, and the state have also been at odds over a plan to relocate a U.S. base within Okinawa.
The victory by Koja, who was backed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, over Tamaki in the Sept. 13 gubernatorial election gave the central government hope that the political tide would turn.
"The ruling party provided so much support for Mr. Koja," said Yoshinori Kaseda, professor at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University. "I believe it was offering the support with the expectation that the policies the government is trying to promote would proceed smoothly if Mr. Koja won."
The central government had viewed the Okinawa prefectural government as being "not very cooperative" as Tamaki basically did not view the strengthening of defense capabilities on the Nansei Islands favorably, Kaseda said.
Japan's southern island prefecture of Okinawa is seen as strategically important due to its proximity to the potential geopolitical flashpoint of Taiwan.
China views Taiwan as part of its territory and has been increasing pressure on the self-governed democratic island recently.
Among the expected changes in course, the new governor is likely to make it easier for the central government to designate airports and ports of the Nansei Islands for defense use in times of emergency.
The government hopes to ensure such public infrastructure can be used by the Self-Defense Forces and the Japan Coast Guard not only for emergencies but also to store fuel and ammunition and for exercises in peacetime.
Koja, who visited Tokyo and met Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi soon after his election victory, already expressed on Sept. 16 his intention to cooperate with the central government on the matter.
The designated airports will likely have runways lengthened and aprons widened to make them more suitable for fighter jets and SDF transport aircraft, while deeper and well-equipped docks will be constructed in ports so that they can host destroyers and other large ships.
Upgrading the facilities could benefit local people by enabling their use for commercial logistics, tourism and disaster response. On the other hand, fears could be raised that the sites would become targets in the event of a conflict.
Koja's election victory "should not be regarded as a 'blank check' allowing the state's defense policy to be pursued freely in Okinawa," said Nobuhisa Akiyama, professor at Hitotsubashi University.
"Rather, it represents a new political opportunity to advance security policy through dialogue between Okinawa and the government."
Policies implemented out of necessity for national security and those aimed at the promotion of Okinawa and the alleviation of the burden of military bases are essentially independent policy objectives but as a result could bring about "dual benefits," Akiyama explained.
The state and Okinawa could cooperate on ports, roads, medical care and communications, all of which encompass both "national security" and "social infrastructure development including disaster prevention," he added.
Since 2016, the Self-Defense Forces have deployed units on Okinawa's Yonaguni, Miyako and Ishigaki islands as well as Kagoshima Prefecture's Amami-Oshima Island, with surface-to-ship missiles deployed on some of them.
The Ground Self-Defense Force's 15th Brigade based in Naha, the prefectural capital of Okinawa, will be upgraded to a full division by next March.
The brigade's mission includes defending the Senkaku Islands, a group of Japan-administered uninhabited islets in the East China Sea that are claimed by China and Taiwan. Beijing has repeatedly sent its vessels to waters around the Senkakus in an attempt to undermine Japan's control of them.
Strengthening Japan's defense posture in the Pacific is likely to be a key element when the Takaichi government updates a set of key security documents by the end of this year to incorporate advances in defense-linked technologies such as artificial intelligence and drones.
The Defense Ministry aims to establish "Synchronized, Hybrid, Integrated and Enhanced Littoral Defense," or SHIELD, to repel enemy attacks on far-flung islands, using various types of unmanned assets from vessels and aircraft.
"It is likely that the Nansei Islands region will become a key area for operating and building this SHIELD," Kaseda said.
"I think expansion of these unmanned assets, which also tend to attract relatively low public attention compared to highly visible deployment of long-range missiles or building of ammunition depots, are going to be promoted smoothly," he said.
