China is secretly trying to gain control in Japan, specifically in Okinawa, which is just 750 kilometres from Taiwan and hosts a significant US military presence of nearly 30,000 troops.
Now, with propaganda and diplomatic outreach, Beijing is carrying out a “silent invasion” of the southernmost prefecture in Japan as it shapes the battlefield for a potential incursion.
Analysts believed that China was well aware that a Taiwanese invasion would prompt a swift response from US aircraft and warships, backed by Japanese forces, threatening the invasion fleet's northern flank. To counter this, China is reportedly seeking to neutralise this potential threat.
The Chinese assault, they say, is through the sowing of discord between residents and the national government by playing up economic problems in the nation’s poorest prefecture as well as historical grievances over the annexation of what was then the independent kingdom of Ryukyu in 1879.
Also read | Won’t allow Awami League to contest Bangladesh polls: Yunus’ adviser
Spreading propaganda against the US military presence in Okinawa
Chinese state media frequently seized the opportunity to publicise misconduct by US military personnel and emphasise the disproportionate presence of US bases in Okinawa, which occupies only 0.6 per cent of Japan's land but hosts a staggering 70 per cent of US military bases in the country.
It also hosts some of the American military’s most sophisticated weapons systems.
Taken together, these are the sort of wedges that serve to alienate native islanders and those they see as outsiders.
Recruiting ethnic Chinese living in Okinawa to help them
According to the reports, mainland Chinese officials have been secretly recruiting ethnic Chinese residents in Okinawa to establish an underground police station, mirroring Beijing's clandestine operations in other countries worldwide.
Also read | Trump’s anti-DEI order grounds documentary on Tuskegee Airmen and female WWII pilots
To add to the pressure, propaganda clips can be found across Chinese social media proclaiming that the majority of Okinawans favour independence.
A Japanese news magazine, Weekly Genda, revealed that China plans to establish a "Ryukuku Research Centre" at Dalian Maritime University, aiming to strengthen China's international claims to the Ryukyu Islands, which include Okinawa.
(With inputs from agencies)