The US is turning a remote Japanese island into a compact but critical forward node in the First Island Chain as tensions with China tighten over Taiwan.
This month, Naval News reported that the US Marine Corps has ramped up operations on Yonaguni Island, Japan’s westernmost outpost just 112 kilometers from Taiwan, as part of its First Island Chain strategy aimed at bolstering regional deterrence. Since September 2025, US Marines have conducted multiple logistics missions, offloading containers of medical supplies, disaster response equipment and refrigeration units at Kubura Port during exercises tied to Resolute Dragon 2025.
The deployments, coordinated with Japan’s Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), included establishing a Forward Arming and Refueling Point (FARP) this October, marking the first time CH-53E heavy-lift helicopters operated that far southwest in Japan.
