US envoy to Japan visits disputed East China Sea islands in show of unity against Beijing

The US ambassador to Japan stressed on Friday the importance of increased deterrence and his country’s commitment to its key ally as he visited two southwestern Japanese islands at the forefront of Tokyo’s tension with Beijing.

Japan has been making a southwest shift of its defence posture, and is further accelerating its military build-up under a 2022 security strategy that focuses on counterstrike capability with long-range cruise missiles.

Emanuel was the first US ambassador to visit Yonaguni. Escorted by Mayor Kenichi Itokazu, he looked towards Taiwan, only 110km (68 miles) away. He met with Japanese Self Defence Force servicemembers at a local base installed in 2016 and where a missile defence system is planned.

The ambassador said the main purpose of his visit was to show US support for the local fishing community. He also met with a local fisherman who was among those affected by China’s increasingly assertive actions in the regional seas.

“If they don’t have deterrence, that’s going to be worse,” Emanuel said in Ishigaki, the second island he visited on Friday. “If you have a very robust deterrence, it ensures that there is peace, ensures that there is security, ensures economic prosperity. Without that, it’s more likely to be a green light to those that want to use economic coercion and confrontation as their only means of expression.”

Emanuel said Yonaguni fishers still catch fish for a living, supporting the local economy and helping reinforce Japanese territorial rights. “That’s what a real win looks like – economic security,” he said on social media platform X.

In Ishigaki, Japan’s coastguard protects fishing boats in the disputed waters around the Diaoyu Islands, which Tokyo administers and calls the Senkakus.

Bei