Indo-Pacific focus

Though mainland Japan consists of four primary islands, Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku, the country has a total of 6,852 islands. Many are very small and uninhabited. Some are strategically located and thus very important for the defence of Japan as they can be used to deploy forces to secure the country from external threats. Ishigaki Island is one such strategically important island