SNA (Tokyo) — As they have repeatedly done in the past, Washington and Tokyo have conspired to ensure that, should a military conflict break out with mainland China, thousands of Okinawans will be among the first to be killed.

The US military in Japan relocated its eight MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance drones unit to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa. They had previously been stationed at the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Kanoya Air Base in Kagoshima Prefecture on the island of Kyushu.

Defense Minister Minoru Kihara asserted last month that the redeployment to Okinawa was necessary because the “security environment” of Japan is becoming “increasingly severe.” As has become customary, there was no elaboration or concrete public explanation, only general references to military jargon and vague concepts such as “deterrence and response capabilities.”

Since these drones are believed to be mainly engaged in missions to surveil the Chinese armed forces—with responses to a potential Taiwan “contingency” at the forefront of their objectives—they will predictably become a target of Chinese attack in the first hours of any potential US-China war. Tens of thousands of Okinawans live along the borders of the US air base.

As has become routine, Okinawan political leaders have been nearly unanimous in protesting the use of their islands to escalate military preparations for a war with China, but their appeals have been summarily dismissed. In fact, most of the Japanese mainstream media no longer bothers to report such protests and even more rarely allows Okinawan protesters to express their concerns in their own words to the main islands’ public.

In one of those protest actions which went largely unreported, the Chatan Town Council, representing one of the communities along the borders of the air base, passed a motion 16-1 earlier this month demanding that the drones not be redeployed to Okinawa.

The council’s protest resolution read, in part: “the indefinite deployment of unmanned reconnaissance drones (MQ-9) without specific burden reduction measures is not acceptable, as it would inevitably contribute to the enhancement of the base’s functions. Residents around the Kadena Air Base are forced to live with anxiety due to the presence of the base, and the mental burden is immeasurable. Both the Japanese and US governments should recognize this and work towards compliance with rules and substantial burden reduction.”

This article was originally published on November 27, 2023, in the “Japan and the World” newsletter. Become a Shingetsu News supporter on Patreon and receive the newsletter by email each Monday morning.