Japan Builds Additional Fuel And Ammunition Depots On Islands Near Taiwan

Yasukazu Hamada, Minister of Defense of Japan, stated on September 6th that Japan will add fuel and ammunition depots in the Nansei Islands in the East China Sea to prepare for the Taiwan Strait crisis.

 Japan now stores about 70% of its ammunition in Hokkaido, more than 2,000 kilometers away from potential conflicts around Taiwan. The Ministry of Defense executive department of the government of Japan believes the increased capacity that extends from Kyushu towards southwest, adjacent to Taiwan will help improve deterrence.

 Hamada said that Japan’s goal is not only to improve the mobility of the troops, but also to strengthen its capacity to store and deliver combat materials, including the ability to deploy and maneuver continuously. Japan will first build ammunition depots in the Amami Ōshima, ground self-defense force, and will also consider deploying weapons such as missile defense in this camp. In addition, Japan will build ports and fuel storage facilities on islands in the Okinawa and Kyushu regions.

 The government of Japan hopes that supplies from Kyushu and Honshu Island will be delivered to the Taiwan Strait frontline swiftly with the upcoming infrastructure in order to achieve more effective support for U.S. military operations.