YONAGUNI, Japan - Just 68 miles from Taiwan's coast, Japan's westernmost inhabited island is undergoing a dramatic transformation from a peaceful tourist destination to a strategic military outpost amid rising regional tensions.

The island of Yonaguni, home to fewer than 1,500 local residents, has seen its landscape increasingly militarized with radar installations, missile defense systems, and the establishment of Camp Yonaguni, a Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force base [1].

Recent defense statistics highlight the escalating situation: The Naha-based Southwestern Air Defense Force responded to 401 scrambles in fiscal 2023 - 60% of Japan's national total - primarily due to Chinese military activity in the region [2].

Military presence has grown significantly since a 2015 referendum approved troop deployment. The current force of approximately 210 personnel and their families now comprises one-fifth of the island's population [3].

Recent Chinese military activities have heightened concerns. In late 2024, multiple incidents occurred including airspace violations by Chinese reconnaissance aircraft and the passage of the aircraft carrier Liaoning with two destroyers between Yonaguni and nearby Iriomote [1].

'We have to be mobile, quick and thorough to keep tabs in this region,' says Rear Adm. Takuhiro Hiragi, commander of Fleet Air Wing 5 of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force [2].

The militarization has divided the community. While some view it as essential for security and economic survival, others fear it makes the island a potential target. A government evacuation plan estimates it would take at least six days to move 120,000 people from five remote islands, including Yonaguni, to Japan's main islands [4].

'Everything is pushed through in the name of the Taiwan emergency, and many feel this is too much,' says local potter Kyoko Yamaguchi [1].