- A remote Japanese island inadvertently found itself in the crosshairs of China-Taiwan tensions.
- Less than 100 miles from Taiwan’s capital, Japan’s westernmost island has rapidly militarized.
- China’s looming threat has left the island’s tiny population of 1,500 concerned for their safety.
A quiet Japanese island has found itself on the front lines of the tense dispute over Taiwan.
Growing tensions between China and Taiwan, a self-governing democracy that Beijing claims is part of its territory, has transformed Japan’s once quaint ecotourism destination into a military fortress.
Yonaguni, Japan’s westernmost island, is located just shy of 100 miles from the Taiwanese capital of Taipei, making it a strategic frontline outpost for Japan and allies like the US. In a reminder of the island’s new status, a cattle ranch has become a military base, and authorities are expanding the port to accommodate larger warships.
“As a child, I was so proud of this westernmost border island,” Fumie Kano, an innkeeper on Yonaguni, told the Associated Press. “But recently, we are repeatedly told this place is dangerous, and I feel so sad.”
While the influx of troops has boosted the island’s security and economy, residents are forced to brace themselves against a possible conflict mere miles away.
