TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Vice president of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party Minister Aso Taro highlighted the need for evacuation protocol in the case of a Taiwan Strait conflict on Monday (Jan. 8).
During a political briefing, Aso said it would be challenging to safely rescue Japanese nationals if Taiwan were engaged in conflict, per Kyodo News. He suggested Japan should prepare for such a situation, potentially utilizing submarines to evacuate Japanese in Taiwan.
Aso’s comments follow Japan Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu’s meetings with local government leaders last October about plans for the evacuation of 120,000 Okinawan residents, as a precaution for a conflict in Taiwan.
Okinawa has a population of about 1.5 million people. In March, the province performed a simulation of an evacuation, moving 120,000 people out and instructing the rest to shelter in place.
