Japan's First Deployment of Type 16 Mobile Combat Vehicles in Okinawa Sparks Local Protests

Xinhua News Agency, Tokyo, November 6 (Reporter Li Ziyue, Chen Ze'an) According to reports from Japanese media on the 6th, to support the upgrade of the 15th Brigade of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force stationed in Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture, the "Type 16 Mobile Combat Vehicle" arrived locally on the 5th. This is the first deployment of this type of combat vehicle in Okinawa Prefecture, which has sparked protests from local residents.

It is reported that the "Type 16 Mobile Combat Vehicle" is a wheeled armored combat vehicle equipped with a 105mm cannon, with a maximum speed of about 100 kilometers per hour, capable of rapid deployment to island areas. The Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun previously reported that the 15th Brigade plans to upgrade to a division by March 2027, at which time the personnel scale will increase from the current approximately 2,300 to about 3,900.

In response to this development, several civic groups in Okinawa Prefecture held a protest rally in front of the prefectural government building on the 6th. Protesters issued a statement on-site, demanding that Okinawa Prefectural Governor Denny Tamaki oppose the deployment of new equipment and the upgrade of the 15th Brigade to a division.

One of the rally organizers, Kunio Arakaki, stated that this deployment clearly escalates the situation with urban warfare as the backdrop, further intensifying from previous deployments. He expressed hope that Okinawa Prefecture would firmly oppose the related deployment and expansion plans.