March 28 (UPI) — Japan Thursday disclosed an evacuation plan for 120,000 residents of islands near Taiwan as it announced an evacuation drill in fiscal 2026.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the plan is being drawn up to deepen discussions regarding the evacuation of island residents near Taiwan “under the assumption of a situation where armed attacks are predicted.”
The plan calls for the evacuation of 110,00 residents and 10,000 visitors on the Sakishima using ships and planes to evacuate them within 6 days.
“The government will work hard on making the plan more effective terms of support, including how to arrange accommodation for those with special needs, if the evacuation period goes beyond a month,” Hayashi said during a press conference Thursday.
The Japanese evacuation plan will transport people from Ishigaki, Miyako, Taketomi, Yonaguni and Tarama.
The plan calls for some evacuees to be flown to Fukuoka and Kagoshima airports and then take chartered buses to designated hotels.
Others will be taken by sea to Yamaguchi Prefecture and seven other prefectures in the Kyushu region.
Japan’s evacuation contingency plan comes as Taiwan President Lai Ching-te earlier this month called for “proactive measures” to protect Taiwan from Chinese threats.
Taiwan was never part of the People’s Republic of China established in the 1949 revolutionary victory of Chinese communists over nationalists in China’s civil war. China, however, claims Taiwan is part of China and has vowed to take Taiwan by force if necessary.
Tensions between China and Japan are growing.
In February China rebuked the U.S. for removing a State Department website statement that declared the U.S. does not support Taiwan independence.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said during a press conference, “This move severely violates the one-China principle.”