Okinawa’s Koja calls for central government to explain ‘minimum’ military buildup

Okinawa Gov. Genta Koja attends a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Monday. | AFP-JIJI

Nov 9, 2026

Newly elected Okinawa Gov. Genta Koja has urged the central government to better explain the “minimum” defensive capabilities needed in the country’s most southerly prefecture as Japan focuses on its far-flung islands and tensions over the U.S. military presence there persist. 

Speaking at a news conference Monday in Tokyo, Koja emphasized the need to balance the “Nansei shift” — a strategy seeking to deter adversaries by building up Japan’s defense capabilities in its southwestern region — with the wishes of Okinawa’s residents. 

“I intend to firmly demand that the government explain exactly what constitutes the minimum necessary self-defense capabilities to maintain peace, and why particular military functions and facilities are required,” he said.

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