Okinawa holds tabletop evacuation drill with eye on Taiwan tensions

Transporting 120,000 residents takes about 6 days under current capacities

Residents of Japan's Sakishima Islands, located near Taiwan, may need to be evacuated by air or by sea if a crisis erupts in the area. (Photo by Yumiko Urasaki)

YUMIKO URASAKI

January 31, 2025 03:03 JST

NAHA, Japan -- Okinawa prefecture on Thursday conducted its third tabletop drill on evacuating residents of Japan's closest island chain to Taiwan during a potential crisis in the region.

The exercises have been held annually since 2023. The latest drill covered the evacuation of 120,000 people from five communities on the Sakishima Islands.