On 20 March 2025, The Diplomat reported that China is intensifying its information warfare against Okinawa to weaken Japan‑U.S. security ties. The article begins:
China has been intensifying its information war against Japan’s Achilles’ heel – Okinawa. Late last year, when several thousand Okinawans protested the sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl by an American soldier stationed in their island prefecture, the People’s Daily, a major Chinese state media outlet, spun the story. Okinawans, it reported, were demanding a complete revision of the Japan‑U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, the rules that govern U.S. military bases in Japan. What the newspaper neglected to tell its readers was that the changes sought by the protesters were aimed specifically at preventing sexual assaults. Indeed, the crime that sparked the protests was given only a token mention, leaving the impression that it was the Japan‑U.S. alliance itself that Okinawans opposed.
Key Points:
- Okinawa hosts 70% of U.S. military bases in Japan, making it strategically important but vulnerable to Chinese influence operations.
- Chinese tactics include spreading anti‑U.S. narratives and even promoting Okinawan independence, with some false claims that Okinawa historically belonged to China.
- “Malinformation” – selective reporting of real events to create misleading narratives – proves more effective than outright disinformation in Japan.
- Japan lacks comprehensive countermeasures against malinformation, with experts calling for better coordination between government and civil society actors.
Disclaimer: This post was generated using AI, with added context where possible. Please verify all information before using. Images are also AI-generated and are for illustrative purposes only—they are meant to represent the events or individuals concerned but should not be understood as “real world” photography.
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