The popular tourist destination of Ishigaki, an island that is closer to Taiwan than Tokyo, will soon be home to hundreds of soldiers, stockpiles of ammunition and missiles that could one day strike mainland China. The local farming and fishing community is divided over the base, and what it means for their idyllic way of life. ‘In this next war, everyone will be the losers’, says Setsuko Yamazato. During the Second World War, she, along with the other residents of Ishigaki, were forcibly evacuated to live in the jungle by Japan’s Imperial army when the risk of US invasion seemed imminent, fearing the locals would betray information. The population was left to die of malaria and malnourishment. Now with war seemingly looming again, the locals fear they may become a target again. ‘We are waking up to the potential threat China is posing’, says Professor Yoko Iwama. ‘The security situation surrounding our country has become very severe. And it will continue to get more and more severe’, says Major Shingo Nashinoki, a unit commander.