“As a maritime country, we must take long-term, systematic measures to protect, maintain and expand peace, security and our maritime interests,” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated during a meeting of the maritime policy task force on Friday.

The comprehensive development program envisions building administrative and transport facilities on 148 islets in borderline areas in accordance with the law on the ‘Preservation of Remote Island Areas,’ which took effect last week.

By providing a boost to the infrastructure of the islands, the Japanese government hopes to curb the depopulation of the islands, which they say is a threat to national security.

The measure is allegedly designed to keep other states from claiming interests in the area, in particular China and South Korea, as well as to define the boundaries of Japan’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone.

The islets in question, which are scattered all over Japan, are located in 29 Japanese regions. Among the territories that are reportedly listed in the plan are the Tsushima Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture and the Yaeyama Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, the remotest part of Japan with increasingly frequent sightings of Chinese ships.

https://www.rt.com/news/384091-japan-islands-nationalize-china/