Once Known for Its Beauty and Bad Bunny’s Song, the Japanese Island of Yonaguni Is Now a Military Fortress Because of Taiwan

Until recently, most people likely didn’t know what Yonaguni was. In 2021, the picturesque Japanese island appeared on the “map” of millions when Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny dedicated a song to it—in Spanish and Japanese, no less. However, the place is likely to become even more famous as the months pass, much to its regret. This island sits at the center of tensions between the U.S. and China, just off the coast of Taiwan.

Paradise in the conflict. Yonaguni, Japan’s westernmost island, is an idyllic corner of crystal-clear water and nearly empty roads between sugarcane fields. But its strategic location, just 68 miles from Taiwan, places it at the heart of growing tensions between China and Taiwan. It has transformed from a tourist paradise into an expanding military enclave.

The Japanese government has announced plans to expand the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) base. It’s working to enlarge the airport, build a port for large ships, and create underground evacuation shelters. These developments have left the town’s 1,500 residents caught between increasing militarization and the looming threat of regional conflict.

A military stronghold. According to the Associated Press, some residents and local authorities, such as innkeeper Fumie Kano, had hoped to promote trade links with Taiwan through direct sea routes. However, Japan set aside this plan in favor of militarization, which brings government subsidies and promises of security.

Since 2016, the island has housed a 160-member radar-equipped coastal surveillance unit, joined by electronic warfare units and potential long-range missile deployments. Today, military personnel and their families make up 20% of the population, a steadily rising number that is beginning to reshape the island’s economy and social structure.

Division in the face of threat. The possibility of a Taiwan yūji, an emergency triggered by a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, worries residents who fear the island could become a military target or a destination for refugees. Not all share this concern. According to The Guardian, Shoko Komin, a restaurant owner specializing in local delicacies, doubts an imminent conflict but worries about its immediate impact on tourism, the island’s primary economic driver.

He says militarization has crowded out efforts to promote Yonaguni as a tourist destination. Even those who voted in favor of the base in 2015, when it was narrowly approved, now seem concerned about the possible installation of missiles, which would make the island a target in the event of hostilities.

Geopolitics in the Pacific. Japan’s defense policy, which for decades focused on the Soviet threat in the north, has shifted its focus southward due to growing pressure from China. Yonaguni is part of the Ryukyu Islands, and its strategic importance has increased as the U.S. calls for Japan to take a more active role in its defense.

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel recently visited the island in a symbolic show of U.S. support. Additionally, other nearby islands, such as Miyako and Ishigaki, already host missile units, with more on the way, increasing pressure on Okinawa Prefecture, which hosts most U.S. troops in Japan.

Defense or provocation. Residents have differing opinions. Yonaguni Mayor Kenichi Itokazu supports the military buildup, seeing it as essential to protect the island and access part of the record 43 trillion yen ($276 billion) in defense spending planned through 2028. He argues that, considering the Hong Kong experience, Japan cannot trust Xi Jinping’s assurances of peace.

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However, critics like councilman Chiyoki Tasato warn that deploying troops and missiles attracts rather than deters danger. Tasato believes Japan will inevitably be involved if war breaks out in the Taiwan Strait due to its security treaty with the U.S., which stipulates bilateral military responsibilities. The 2015 law enacted under former Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, allowing Japan to exercise collective self-defense if an ally is attacked, reinforces this stance.

An island in transition. Like many remote regions of Japan, Yonaguni faces a complicated process of depopulation. From a population of 12,000 in 1947, there are now barely 1,500 residents, most of them elderly. This number contrasts with the 160 SDF troops and their 90 family members, whose presence is beginning to change the social structure.

According to local resident Tetsu Inomata, the military “base population” will exceed 40% of the total by 2026. Although the soldiers have tried to integrate by participating in schools, businesses, and cultural activities, many islanders feel that a military enclave is taking shape—one that could eventually displace the civilian population.

Historical memory and the strategic present. Some residents, like local politician Mizuho Chida, see the evacuation drills as covert preparations for armed conflict. Others, like Tasato, advocate strengthening economic and cultural ties with Taiwan, a country with which Yonaguni shared trade relations during the Ryukyu Kingdom.

Despite their geographical proximity, there are currently no direct routes between the two regions. However, trial sea crossings are planned for the near future. This view contrasts with the perception that the island has been shaped by outside interests, particularly those of Washington, with Tokyo’s complicity.

The weight of history. The past plays a significant role in how locals perceive the situation. Memories of the Battle of Okinawa, in which some 200,000 people died during World War II, still resonate among residents. Many fear that, as in the past, the government will sacrifice Japan’s southern islands for national security.

Central Okinawa is home to more than half of the 50,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan today. New bases on Yonaguni and neighboring islands such as Miyako and Ishigaki add to this geostrategic burden on a region historically marginalized by Tokyo’s central power.

Risk of disappearance. Increasing militarization threatens not only Yonaguni’s security but also its identity as an island community. Takako Ueno, a local shopkeeper, fears the growing military presence will lead to an eventual exodus of residents.

For many like her, Yonaguni is a unique place with a cultural and natural identity that could be lost if turned into a forward base for a possible war. The island faces an uncertain future, balancing its heritage as a historical crossroads of civilizations with its present as a strategic pawn in the tensions between China, Taiwan, Japan, and the U.S.

Image | U.S. Indo-Pacific | IToldYa

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