The United States and Japan have talked about stockpiling munitions at islands near Taiwan, which has been a hot topic because of the threat of invasion from China. This has been done to prepare for a potential invasion, which China has allegedly been preparing for on Taiwan. There have been shared facilities for the U.S. and Japan to stockpile munitions on the islands. as well as the shared usage of runways. The Southwestern Islands, where these stockpiles are located, stretch from the tip of Kyushu to the north of Taiwan. The munitions are placed there specifically to be quickly deployed in defense of Taiwan and the neighboring islands such as the Nansei Islands and Yonaguni.
This has major effects for the relationship between China and the U.S.-Japan. Japan and the U.S. backing Taiwan in the threat of an invasion from China on Taiwan could severely alter every country involved. The U.S./Japan and China fight indirectly, which could cause issues in their trade and economic relationships, which is detrimental to the U.S. because they rely on China for most of its goods and products. Japan is in close proximity to China, and threats from China in that close a proximity are a dangerous thing. Another issue is Taiwan, as they are stuck in between China and Japan, and Japan is allied with the U.S. Taiwan has been threatened by China for awhile, and the potential for an invasion from China is very real, which would turn Taiwan into an island to gain control of the South China Sea for China.
This article relates to the topic of China’s desire to take control of the South China Sea. The South China Sea contains oil and natural gas, but also is one of the most traveled routes for trade. China wants control of that natural gas and the trade routes to advance its presence elsewhere in that region. The South China Sea is very important for every country that borders it, as China’s potential control of it has major impacts for every surrounding country.