Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Peace and local activists protested outside Japan’s Ministry of Defense on Sunday against the sending of missiles to the southern Japanese island of Miyakojima.

The missiles were dispatched early on Sunday (November 14) and offloaded at a local community port in the town of Furushima in Miyakojima.

The activists delivered a letter of protest, addressed to the Minister of Defense, Nobuo Kishi, to a ministry official asking for a reversal of various policies, including the missile delivery, the installation of new military units, large-scale joint military exercises and the deployment of self-defense forces.

The group then proceeded to the prime minister’s official residence to demand the removal of military bases on the Ryukyu islands archipelago.

Protesters expressed concern about the risk to the safety of local population posed by military tensions in the region.

The Japanese government has decided to strengthen its military cooperation with the United States and NATO forces due to “threats” posed by China in the region of the Senkaku islets, which are claimed by China, and the prospect of military intervention in Taiwan.