Arya News - Behind black iron fencing, soldiers run laps in full view of the nervous residents of Kumamoto in far-western Japan.
Behind black iron fencing, soldiers run laps in full view of the nervous residents of Kumamoto in far-western Japan.
But the base, which is fast becoming a nerve centre for preparations for the prospect of a regional war , will soon be moving some of its activity underground.
Camp Kengun houses some of Japan’s most advanced weapon systems. More have been moved here in recent weeks as Sanae Takaichi, the “Iron Lady” prime minister , transforms the country’s defensive posture and stands up to China.
Moving operations underground will allow the base to keep operating in the event of an attack, something residents and local officials here are having to confront for the first time in decades.
“We have accepted long-range missiles in Camp Kengun because they are essential to defending Japan,” said Kaihei Hashiguchi, the local representative for Kumamoto’s first district, which oversees Camp Kengun.
He added: “We are more concerned about security issues today than we have been. It’s a fact that the Chinese risk against Japan is increasing so it’s important that we respond to this risk.”
Burying some of the operations here is covered by ¥33.7bn (£159m) allocated for 2026, but the details are top secret.
Camp Kengun serves as the headquarters for Japan’s western forces that oversee the country’s long southern island chain that extends down to within 70 miles of Taiwan. It will soon host Japan’s most advanced long-range Type 12 surface-to-ship missile, which is capable of travelling up to 621 miles – long enough to reach China.
The camp itself is at the centre of a growing debate in Japan over militarisation, which has become a major issue before a snap election on Sunday .
Many voters are focused on the economy, but an increasing number are turning their attention to Japan’s security, torn between supporting defence as a form of deterrence or maintaining the status quo to avoid becoming a target.
The subject of militarisation is still a taboo in Japan, where pacifism has been the reigning doctrine since the end of World War II, after Japan became the only country to have suffered nuclear attacks.
Unlike militaries in the UK or the US, the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) are constrained by the constitution to act only in defence of the country. It cannot engage in an offensive capacity.
A shift towards greater defence capabilities, which are currently more popular among the younger generation less familiar with the toll of war, would require a fundamental change in the psyche of many Japanese.
It is a shift not unfamiliar in Europe too, where Germany is now at the heart of plans to rapidly rearm the continent and fend off a new threat in a post-Trump world increasingly drawn down lines of “spheres of influence”.
Camp Kengun is fast becoming a nerve centre for preparations for a regional war - Ken Ishii/Getty Images
However, Ms Takaichi has brought the defence issue to the top of her agenda in the four months since she came to office.
She called the snap vote in late January as a kind of referendum on her short time in power, and to capitalise on her popularity and gain a majority in parliament.
Her approval ratings, currently around 58 per cent, are the highest for a prime minister in nearly two decades, with voters praising her strength and accountability.
Given her popularity, her party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), is expected to win in the upcoming election. Donald Trump, the US president, has already invited her to visit the White House in March.
However, any election is a gamble and if it doesn’t pay off, Ms Takaichi has said she will resign.
Ms Takaichi, who credits Margaret Thatcher as her inspiration , has successfully handled meetings with several world leaders, including Mr Trump, Sir Keir Starmer and Giorgia Meloni. But she has yet to achieve much on domestic policy.
Donald Trump has already invited Sanae Takaichi to visit the White House in March - The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images
In fact, her most notable act to date, which began barely two weeks after she became prime minister, has been a diplomatic crisis with China.
In early November, she told legislators that a conflict around Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory, could trigger the clause in Japan’s constitution that would allow the JSDF to engage in conflict to protect Japan.
The comment prompted anger in Beijing, which responded angrily, encouraging its citizens to stop travelling to Japan and blocking the export of dual-use goods, which experts have said could cost the Japanese economy £10bn.
“Takaichi’s comments were reckless and with how China reacted, I’ve become more scared about a conflict over Taiwan,” said Sara Fukushima, a 24-year-old restaurant worker who spoke to The Telegraph while attending a rally for a local LDP official.
However, Ms Fukushima is still an ardent supporter of Japan’s “Iron Lady”.
“I’m not her most die-hard fan but I recognise that Takaichi is the most capable politician to change Japan for the better,” she said.
Most of her supporters claim that there are no suitable alternatives, given that the LDP has been in power for most of the last 60 years and no other party in Japan has had much experience in leadership.
“The LDP has the very deep experience in creating and implementing Japanese defence policies, while the other parties do not have enough experience, especially in the areas of defence,” said Iida Masafumi, the director of security studies at the National Institute of Defence Studies, a think tank affiliated with Japan’s defence ministry.
The LDP is one of Japan’s more hawkish parties when it comes to defence policy, pushing for more militarisation, while other opposition parties are more pacifist.
In fact, the LDP’s current coalition partner, the conservative Innovation Party, has even called for a debate on nuclear sharing with the US , which would be a significant step for Japan, whose military is restricted to defence engagement.
The major threat facing Japan used to come from nearby North Korea , which has gradually been expanding its nuclear capabilities and even conducting missile tests near Japan, but in recent years, China has moved ahead.
“I feel an enormous sense of crisis and risk today – greater sense of risk than at any time since World War II,” said Satoru Nakamura, a former soldier in the JSDF and the head of a defence think tank in Okinawa, Japan’s southernmost prefecture.
“The level of danger is incomparable, unprecedented. Ten years ago there might have been some stand-offs between Chinese vessels and Japanese coast guard ships, but today it is significantly more extreme,” he said.
China has been increasing its military activity around Taiwan, sending ships and aircraft around the island while threatening to use force to bring the country under its control.
According to Chinese state media, its coast guard has deployed 550,000 vessels and 6,000 aircraft around the islands in the past five years – an increase of nearly 15-fold.
Camp Kengun houses some of Japan’s most advanced weapon systems - Kyodo News/Getty Images
Chinese aggression around Taiwan has many in Japan worried, given its geographic proximity to the island and because Japan hosts more than 55,000 US troops that would probably become involved in any potential conflict.
“Every time I look at the news online, I get so scared. Taiwan is so close to Japan’s southern islands. We need to be ready, if something happens around Japan it is important that we can protect ourselves,” said Misa Kuraoka, a 29-year-old dental hygienist from Kumamoto.
A Taiwan contingency is not the only threat from China facing Japan. Tokyo is also increasingly concerned about a Chinese invasion of the Senkaku Islands.
“It is very clear that China claims sovereignty over the islands and has gradually been increasing its presence of not only its coast guard but its navy and air force in areas very close to the islands,” said Mr Masafumi.
In December last year, Japan accused China of targeting two of its F-15 fighter jets with radars , a practice used to measure distance before a missile attack, widely seen as a serious military threat.
In recent years, Japan has faced increasing aggression from China as it escalates its military activity around both Taiwan and the Senkaku Islands , which are administered by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing.
“The main reason I want to vote is to make sure we avoid war. Everything I see on the news is so scary,” explained Ms Makoto, a 20-year-old student in Kumamoto Prefecture, located on Kyushu Island, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands.
For many, the upcoming election is a referendum on Japan’s future defence capabilities, with Ms Takaichi falling firmly on the side of more militarisation.
Those in favour of greater defence capabilities see Ms Takaichi as the only politician who will protect Japan against increasing military aggression from Beijing.
The Japanese leader has vowed to expedite the rate at which Japan increases its defence spending , to reach 2 per cent of GDP by March.
Many voters are apprehensive about this goal given it could mean higher taxes.
Although the Japanese are increasingly concerned about security issues, the leading issue in the upcoming election is Japan’s rising cost of living, as high inflation and taxes have led to surging food and utilities bills.
Approximately 80 per cent of Japanese households felt the impact of rising prices on their family budgets, according to a survey conducted by Sumitomo Life Insurance in September last year.
If reelected, Ms Takaichi would also oversee Japan’s new five-year national security strategy, which outlines key defence objectives and is expected to be published by the end of 2026.
Japan aims to increase defence spending to 2 per cent of GDP by 2027 - Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images
However, there is still considerable uncertainty across Japan over whether increasing defence capabilities and acquiring more advanced systems could make it a greater target in China’s eyes.
The consequence of war also weighs heavily on Kumamoto, which lies across a narrow waterway from Nagasaki – one of the two Japanese cities that the US targeted with atomic bombs during World War II.
A survey conducted by the Kyodo news agency in November, shortly after tensions erupted between Japan and China, showed that the Japanese public remained split on how they would like their government to respond. Nearly 50 per cent support Japan’s right to self-defence while 44 per cent oppose it.
For many who live near Camp Kengun, the deployment of long-range weapons has been especially anxiety-inducing.
“One of my friends recently moved because he found out they were deploying a missile to the camp. If they ever planned to expand the base, it would make me so scared,” said Haroyu, a pensioner who lives five minutes away from the base.
A similar sentiment is felt on Yonaguni, Japan’s tiny, westernmost island, located approximately 70 miles off the coast of Taiwan.
The island has also become a focus for Japan’s defence ministry in recent years, given it could one day serve as the front line of an international response to a war over Taiwan.
Japan established a military base on the island in 2016, which it has gradually been expanding, as well as radar towers and units for PAC-3 missile interceptors.
Japan is deploying longer-range missiles as it protects itself from China
Many residents see their island’s militarisation as a critical form of deterrence, but others see it as a risk.
“If we have more weapons, it makes us a target. It amounts to triggering the enemy and inducing an attack rather than deterrence,” Takako Ueno, a supermarket assistant who has lived in Yonaguni for five years, told The Telegraph in December.
However, the growing threat from China has started to change the conversation, especially among young people, who believe Japan’s best option is to prepare for the worst.
“If you think more weapons make you a bigger target, then look at the US. If that’s the case, why hasn’t the US been attacked?” said Mr Satoru, the former JSDF soldier.
With a growing threat from China looming over Japan’s upcoming election, many voters believe that Ms Takaichi is the best suited to protect the country.
“Even if she wins, Japan has a major problem to face in terms of security, but if she doesn’t win Okinawa will soon be taken by China, without even any confrontation,” said Mr Satoru.
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