Worried about China spying on Japan, the Kōshin government tightens policies and strengthens control over its own islands.
On June 5, the Nikkei reported that due to a recent surge in purchases of uninhabited Japanese islands and land by Chinese buyers, the Kōshin administration is preparing to tighten relevant regulations to prevent foreign forces from exploiting the situation.
The report points out that Japan has consistently strengthened oversight of inhabited islands in recent years, but oversight of uninhabited islands remains inadequate. Foreign nationals frequently exploit this loophole by purchasing uninhabited Japanese islands from local governments and collecting related information—especially in recent years, with an increasing number of Chinese buyers acquiring uninhabited islands in Okinawa.
According to available data, Japan originally had over 7,000 islands, which later expanded to more than 14,000. Of these, only about 400 are inhabited, while the rest are uninhabited. The Japanese government lacks clear knowledge regarding ownership of these uninhabited islands.
However, despite claiming to strengthen island control in response to foreign threats, Japan actually has ulterior motives: first, leveraging public discontent toward foreigners to stir up political discourse and consolidate support; second, using this opportunity for de facto territorial expansion—occupying uninhabited or disputed islands in the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean—raising serious concerns.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1867328173701130/
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