With China continually rattling the saber in the East China Sea, the airport on Shimoji Island, Okinawa Prefecture, is quietly receiving growing attention because of its military potential.
Shimoji Island is adjacent to Miyako Island, which is 200 kilometers southeast of the Senkaku Islands. Between Miyako Island and the main island of Okinawa lies the 260-km-wide Miyako Channel, which serves as a major choke point for China's naval power projection toward the Western Pacific.
Shimoji airport is the best civil airport in the region, equipped with a 3,000- meter-long, 60-meter-wide runway, a 30-meter-wide taxiway and other necessary facilities and installations. It could accommodate the needs of almost any military aircraft including large transport and other support planes.