Chinese Island Purchases Raise Security Concerns; Japan to Survey Ownership of 13,000 Uninhabited Islands

The Japanese government will conduct its first comprehensive survey of the ownership of over 13,000 uninhabited remote islands nationwide and consider nationalizing some ownerless islands. Amid growing attention to Chinese nationals purchasing Japanese remote islands and a worsening regional security situation, the Japanese government has deemed it necessary to strengthen management to prevent these islands from being exploited by foreign forces or criminal organizations.

According to the Nikkei, Japan was long believed to have about 7,000 islands, but with advances in surveying technology, it was confirmed in 2023 that there are actually 14,125 islands. Excluding the five main islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Okinawa Main Island, the remaining 14,120 are all classified as "remote islands."

In the past, the government's focus was limited to inhabited islands and "border remote islands." As of fiscal year 2016, Japan had nationalized 273 uninhabited border remote islands. Border remote islands are those deemed important for maintaining national territory, territorial waters, and exclusive economic zones (EEZs), such as islands serving as base points for the outer limits of territorial waters or EEZs.

Furthermore, of the 417 inhabited remote islands, 148 border remote islands receive special attention, distributed from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south. Among these, 71 islands, including Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture and Tanegashima in Kagoshima Prefecture, are designated as "Specified Inhabited Border Remote Islands," and the government supports the lives of residents through subsidies for agricultural transport costs and tourism promotion.

In addition to border remote islands, Japan supports 255 inhabited islands through the "Remote Islands Development Act" to promote regional revitalization and settlement. However, the remaining over 13,400 uninhabited islands have lacked management for a long time, and the government cannot even determine how many have unknown or uncontactable owners.

In recent years, the purchase of land on Japanese remote islands by foreigners has repeatedly sparked controversy.

Recently, social media has circulated reports of Chinese nationals purchasing uninhabited islands in Okinawa and parts of Kasasajima in Yamaguchi Prefecture, sparking widespread discussion.

Areas including the Ogasawara Islands, Okinawa border remote islands, and the Seto Inland Sea region, which has numerous uninhabited islands, host bases for Japan's Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defense Forces. Concerns exist that foreign forces could use nearby islands as bases for intelligence gathering via drones, or that they could become bases for domestic criminal organizations.

Amid developments such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the worsening situation in the Middle East, China's failure to rule out the use of force to unify Taiwan, and North Korea's continued development of missiles and nuclear weapons, Japan's awareness of the importance of remote island security is increasing.

A comprehensive policy on foreign nationals announced by the Japanese government in January this year noted public concern that "acquisition of land on remote islands by foreigners could pose problems for national security."

While the government regulates some border remote islands through the "Important Land Survey Act," with 56 inhabited and 29 uninhabited border remote islands designated as controlled objects, the current law does not restrict land purchases by foreigners, and remote islands other than border remote islands are also outside the scope of land use regulation.

Furthermore, population decline and aging have led to many properties not undergoing inheritance registration for years, complicating ownership relationships. The Japanese government made inheritance registration mandatory in 2024, aiming to improve the nationwide problem of land with unknown owners.

According to reports, the Japanese government has decided to strengthen the management of uninhabited islands, prioritizing surveys of remote islands far from the mainland. If no owner is confirmed, nationalization will be considered.

However, with over 13,000 islands to survey, some cases requiring tracing inheritance histories one by one, the task is enormous. Even after nationalization, subsequent maintenance and management will generate significant costs. The government will need to conduct regular monitoring using satellite imagery and aerial radar, and dispatch personnel for on-site confirmation when necessary.

Yoshiko Yoshihara, Manager of the Policy Research Department at the Tokyo Foundation, believes that due to the yen's depreciation, Japanese land has become cheaper for foreigners, while against the backdrop of population decline and aging, many landowners are looking to divest, creating a match in demand.

She pointed out that while the importance of border remote islands is being re-evaluated due to security needs, it will be necessary to reassess the value of other remote islands in the future and consider how to utilize them effectively.