Camp Ishigaki, a Japan Self-Defense Force base, is on Ishigaki Island, approximately 150 miles from Taiwan’s eastern coast. (Japan Ground Self-Defense Force)
Japan’s Ministry of Defense plans to expand a two-year-old army base on Ishigaki Island, near Taiwan, as part of efforts to bolster defenses in the Nansei Island chain, a city official said Wednesday.
The ministry may purchase 54 acres to enlarge Camp Ishigaki, a Ground Self-Defense Force base on the island, said Osamu Tanahara, director of Ishigaki city’s department of general affairs, during a city assembly meeting. Video of the meeting was uploaded to the city’s website.
The island chain, also known as the Ryukyus, stretches from Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands, to within 70 miles of Taiwan. Ishigaki is approximately 150 miles east of Taiwan. The islands form a key link in the so-called first island chain, a strategic barrier to China’s navy in the event of a conflict.
“The ministry is working to purchase approximately 37 acres on the southern side of the base and an additional 17 acres on the west and east sides of the base,” Tanahara said.
The property in question is not city-owned, and the city does not have information on how many people or companies own the land, a spokesman for the general affairs department said by phone Thursday.
“We do not clearly know when the property will be purchased,” he said.
Some Japanese government officials speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.
The ministry plans to build a training ground on the east side of the base, while additional training facilities for recruit, deployment and disaster response training are planned for the west and south sides, the spokesman said.
Camp Ishigaki began operations in March 2023 and houses approximately 570 personnel from security, surface-to-air and surface-to-ship guided-missile units, according to the defense ministry’s website.
The ministry also plans to activate an electronic warfare operations unit on Ishigaki Island in fiscal 2026 as part of efforts to strengthen those capabilities on remote islands, according to an August ministry release posted on Ishigaki city’s website. Japan’s fiscal year runs from April 1 to March 31.
The number of personnel at Camp Ishigaki may increase with the addition of the electronic warfare unit, but the ministry has not provided details on personnel or equipment, Tanahara said.
