Japan plans to deploy long-range surveillance drones on remote Pacific islands, including Iwo Jima and Chichijima, to strengthen monitoring of Chinese naval activity beyond the first island chain. Minamitorishima airfield will support the deployment. The move aims to eliminate a surveillance “blind spot” as Chinese warships increasingly operate east of Okinawa and deeper into the western Pacific. Analyst William Yang said the decision reflects Tokyo’s heightened threat assessment following expan

Japan plans to deploy long-range surveillance drones on remote Pacific islands, including Iwo Jima and Chichijima, to strengthen monitoring of Chinese naval activity beyond the first island chain. Minamitorishima airfield will support the deployment. The move aims to eliminate a surveillance “blind spot” as Chinese warships increasingly operate east of Okinawa and deeper into the western Pacific. Analyst William Yang said the decision reflects Tokyo’s heightened threat assessment following expanded Chinese naval operations, including simultaneous aircraft carrier deployments in the western Pacific.