"Kasasa is known as the Hawaii of Japan's inland sea because of its warm climate and beautiful coastline. Yagi and his wife, Mihoko, eke out a quiet life alongside just one other couple and an elderly woman. You can stand on the quayside and just reel the fish in, he says as he stands on the rudimentary quay and lets his mind wander towards the hobby that brought him to the island 25 years ago."
"It sits at a sensitive spot for national security, close to two key military bases. Iwakuni US Marine Corps airbase is 20km away and a Japanese Maritime Self-Defence force base is 50km to the north, in the city of Kure. When it emerged that wealthy Chinese developers had bought and then started to develop two plots of land, rumours that they could be used by Beijing for surveillance began to swirl."
"In the space of a few months, the modest island measuring just 700 sq metres has become emblematic of the worsening ties between the two countries, as well as Japan's fears about Beijing's ambitions in the region. Foreign ownership of land in politically sensitive parts of Japan is on the rise."
Kasasa island, located in Japan's inland sea near critical military installations, is home to just seven registered residents including 80-year-old Hideya Yagi and his wife. The island's remote beauty and excellent fishing attract its sparse population. However, the island gained national attention when wealthy Chinese developers purchased and began developing two plots of land, triggering concerns about potential surveillance activities targeting nearby US Marine Corps and Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force bases. This incident sparked broader debate about foreign land ownership in strategically sensitive Japanese locations and reflects escalating tensions between Japan and China regarding Beijing's regional ambitions.
#foreign-land-ownership #national-security-concerns #japan-china-tensions #military-proximity #island-development
Read at www.theguardian.com
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