Japan to Promote Defense "Nansei Shift" after Okinawa Election

Tokyo, Sept. 24 (Jiji Press)--The government of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to ramp up the country's defense capabilities in its southwestern region following the election of a conservative governor in Okinawa Prefecture, southernmost Japan, for the first time in 12 years.

The so-called Nansei shift is aimed at countering increased Chinese military activities, but some local residents are concerned that the region may become a target of attack. Nansei means southwest in Japanese.

"Strengthening the defense system of the Nansei Islands is essential to protect Japan and the people of Okinawa," Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Sept. 17 after being retained in a cabinet reshuffle.

In the Sept. 13 gubernatorial election, Genta Koja, former deputy mayor of Naha, Okinawa's capital, defeated incumbent Denny Tamaki.

The victory is expected to spur the designation of airports and ports for use by the Self-Defense Forces and the Japan Coast Guard even in peacetime as part of efforts to strengthen the country's defenses.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]