2023-12-05 09:44:55
(Archyde.com Yonaguni Island, 5th) Japanese Yonaguni Island resident Takayoshi Sagihara recalled that he happened to meet the last group of Vietnamese refugees to arrive in 1977. At that time, four men crossed the sea for more than 2,000 kilometers to Yonaguni Island, the westernmost inhabited island in Japan. He was worried regarding this. This situation may be repeated when war breaks out across the Taiwan Strait.
The 80-year-old Luyuan said that when he went to check whether there were Taiwanese smugglers, he found this group of Vietnamese who fled following the end of the Vietnam War in his store near the port.
Yonaguni Island is the westernmost island in Japan, and its administrative division belongs to Yonaguni Town, Yaeyama County, Okinawa Prefecture.
Now, some Yonaguni residents are worried regarding another possible refugee crisis, fearing that the local population of less than 1,700 people will be unable to cope with the situation. Taiwan is 110 kilometers west of Yonaguni Island. Cross-strait relations are currently tense due to the Beijing authorities’ frequent flights of aircraft and ships around Taiwan and test-launches of missiles.
More than 20 current and former Japanese officials told Archyde.com that if Beijing invades Taiwan with force, hundreds or even thousands of refugees may try to escape by boat to Yonaguni. However, the Japanese government currently has no relevant response plan, and has not heard calls for help from local governments.
Yonaguni Mayor Kenichi Ozo complained regarding the central government’s attitude of not saying anything, saying “their mouths are like being taped shut.” Among the several possible crises listed on the town office bulletin board are the typhoon and the influx of Vietnamese refugees that year.
Coeff said he asked for help directly when Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshi Matsuno visited the area in July, but received no response. The Japanese government previously only stated that “if a large number of refugees flow into Japan, relevant government departments will cooperate to respond.”
Archyde.com interviewed nine current and six former officials with knowledge of Japan’s emergency plans, some of whom requested anonymity.
They pointed out that Taiwanese refugees may flee to Japan by sea. The number of refugees and the nature of the conflicts that will cause the refugees are actually difficult to predict, and the Japanese government has not mentioned to the public that such a situation may occur.
A source from the Coast Guard revealed that “hundreds of ships may be present at that time, so many that it may be difficult for China to block them.” He also said that the Secretariat of the Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and executed by Hiroshi Matsuno, has the responsibility to formulate relevant plans.
Some current and former officials believe that the Japanese government is now focusing on military construction rather than complex interdepartmental humanitarian response plans. However, the latter relies on close cooperation between central and local governments to inspect, transport, provide food, shelter, etc. To cope with the influx of refugees that may be unprecedented in Japan.
The Migration Policy Institute (MPI), a non-partisan think tank in Washington, cited United Nations figures that have a looser definition of “refugee” than the Japanese government, showing that regarding 18,000 refugees will arrive in Japan in 2022, mostly from Myanmar. At the time of war between Russia, Ukraine and the Middle East, Europe was hosting more than 2 million refugees and Poland was hosting regarding 1 million refugees, most of whom were Ukrainians.
Kevin Maher, former Japan chief of the U.S. State Department, pointed out that the Japanese government must make a political decision on whether to accept a considerable number of refugees, saying, “Although Japan is very negative regarding accepting a large number of refugees, the reality is that almost everything can be floated.” They may all go to Japan.”
An unnamed U.S. official familiar with Japanese affairs said Japan would be hesitant to implement such a refugee response plan on Yonaguni because it would make China think Japan is preparing for war in the Taiwan Strait. Central News Agency (translation)
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If war breaks out across the Taiwan Strait, Taiwanese refugees may flood into Yonaguni Island, worrying regarding the lack of a response plan
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