Japan Plans To Develop Airports And Ports For Military Use In The Event Of An Emergency Situation

JAKARTA - Japan plans to develop five airports and 11 ports, setting it up for use by the country's defense forces and coast guard in the event of a military emergency, government sources said on Wednesday, highlighting concerns over China's maritime aggressiveness and potential conflict against Taiwan.

Nearly half of the 16 commercial facilities, including Naha Airport and deadlock, are located in Okinawa Prefecture or Kyushu's main island in the southwest, which seems to reflect Japan's efforts to bolster defenses around the far southwestern islands, as reported by Kyodo News March 28.

The plan is expected to be approved in a related ministerial meeting, thus paving the way for the project to begin in the following fiscal year starting April. The allocation of 35 billion yen (230 million US dollars) is estimated for the first year.

Longer runways and aprons are expected to be built at designated airports for use by fighter jets and transport aircraft. Meanwhile, the port requires a dock that can accommodate destroyers and other large ships.

The Japanese government set out in its National Security Strategy which was passed in 2022 on the need to increase the function of public infrastructure, such as airports and ports, so that the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and the Japanese Coast Guard can provide a better response to the protection of citizens and deployments in times of emergency.

Although increased facilities can provide benefits for local residents by allowing them to be used for commercial logistics, tourism and disaster response, there are still concerns that the location could be the target of armed attacks in the event of an emergency.

SDF and coast guard will also use the location to conduct exercises.

On the other hand, local governments that manage designated facilities will sign documents with the central government regarding their use by the SDF and coast guard in routine operations and emergencies.

The five airports appointed are located in four prefectures, Fukuoka,88, Miyazaki and Okinawa, which house most of the United States military facilities in Japan.

Meanwhile, of the 11 planned ports, five are on the main island north of Hokkaido, home to many SDF units, four are in Kagawa and Kochi Prefecture on Shikoku's western main island and one each in Fukuoka and Okinawa Prefectures.

In recent years, Japan has strengthened the defense capabilities of remote southwestern islands amid tensions over the Senkaku Islands, a group of uninhabited islands controlled by Tokyo in the East China Sea which Beijing claims and calls Diaoyu.