Japan's Yonaguni Island Fears Future Influx of Taiwanese Refugees
As tensions grow between Taiwan and China, residents on one of Japan’s outlying islands fear it could become a refuge for people fleeing Taiwan — and warn they’re not prepared.
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00:00 Itakazu Kenichi, the mayor of Japan's westernmost island, Yonaguni, fears being caught up in
00:09 a conflict between China and Taiwan.
00:12 He's worried how his small island could deal with an influx of Taiwanese refugees.
00:18 He's asked the government and says Tokyo has no plan.
00:29 Yonaguni Island is about 100 kilometres from Taiwan and is the closest part of Japan to
00:35 the country.
00:37 It has fewer than 2,000 people.
00:40 Residents and officials fear there wouldn't be enough emergency supplies if Taiwanese
00:44 flee to Yonaguni by boat should a war break out.
00:54 Reports have grown of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which is claimed by Beijing.
00:59 In recent years, China has increased military activity around Taiwan, threatening to take
01:05 it by force.
01:08 Japan, which neighbours Taiwan and is wary of China, is increasing defence spending.
01:18 Japan's top military officer says he believes the country would have to offer a firm humanitarian
01:24 response if a refugee crisis is triggered.
01:47 But officials on this remote island aren't convinced.
01:51 They're worried that war could be getting closer.
01:55 And with no clear humanitarian plan in place, they would struggle to deal with an unprecedented
02:01 crisis.
02:02 Dolphine Chen and Louise Watt for Taiwan Plus.
02:06 (applause)