Ishigaki Mayor Yoshitaka Nakayama welcomed the designation of Ishigaki Port in Okinawa Prefecture. “It will enhance deterrence and lead to rapid responses to disasters,” he told a news ...

Military use of civilian facilities on the island, such as the airport and port, is expanding. In September, a U.S. minesweeper called at Ishigaki Port, followed by a missile destroyer on March 11.

TOKYO, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Navy's amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's training support ship Kurobe docked at Japan's Ishigaki port in ...