Sputnik News
The United States military and Japan’s Self-Defense forces have devised a joint draft operation to use Japan’s Nansei Island chain in the event of an emergency involving Taiwan. The Nansei Island chain stretches from the Japanese island of Kyushu in the north to Taiwan in the south.
Citing sources from within the Japanese government, Kyodo News reported that the proposed contingency plan would see an undisclosed number of US Marine deployed to set up a temporary attack base on the Nansei Islands.
At present, Okinawa, a Japanese island in the chain, currently hosts the majority of all US military installations in Japan.
The plan, which is expected to provoke serious blowback from Beijing, would also see US military forces deploy a high-mobility artillery rocket system to a temporary base location, with Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) offering logistical support where US Marines would relocate to minimize their chances of facing a direct attack.
Sources indicated to the outlet that the contingency plan would only be executed if the Japanese government determined that a conflict between Beijing and Taiwan would threaten the peace and security of Japan.
It is believed that the plan will be formalized in January 2022, when foreign and defense chiefs from the US and Japan meet. However, the decision to use the island chain as a base of operation would make it a target of attack. The risk to those who live on the islands would require legal changes in Tokyo.
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