The Ministry of Defense in Japan has announced that it will be moving the headquarters of the Ground Self-Defense Force and Maritime Self-Defense Force underground at four facilities in Okinawa and the Kyushu region by fiscal year 2028. Additionally, the Ministry has plans to implement measures against electromagnetic pulse attacks at five Japan Air Self-Defense Force bases by fiscal year 2029.
The primary goal of these measures is to improve the protection abilities of Self-Defense Force facilities in anticipation of potential crises, such as a crisis in Taiwan. The subterraneanization of military headquarters will be carried out at the Naha base of the Ground Self-Defense Force in Okinawa Prefecture, the Yonaguni base also in Okinawa Prefecture, the Kengun base in Kumamoto Prefecture, and the Maizuru Regional Defense Bureau of the Maritime Self-Defense Force in Kyoto Prefecture. These facilities are important bases for dispatching and commanding units and ships, and it has been determined that they need to maintain their function even in the event of an enemy attack. Naha and Yonaguni were given particular consideration due to their close proximity to Taiwan, where China has been ramping up military pressure.
Japan is worried that China and North Korea are developing ways to carry out an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack. This involves setting off a nuclear device in the atmosphere, which generates a powerful electromagnetic wave that can cripple all electronic equipment.
If electromagnetic waves neutralize the air traffic control radar, fighter jets will be unable to take off and land, so countermeasures such as installing a protective device called a “power supply filter” are planned. The first facility to implement these measures will be Nyutabaru Air Base, in Miyazaki Prefecture. Tsuiki Air Base, Fukuoka Prefecture; Chitose Air Base, Hokkaidō; Fuchu Air Base, Tokyo; and Naha Air Base, Okinawa are expected to receive the protections as well.
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