南西防衛「揺るぎない意思」　木原氏、空自那覇基地視察

　木原稔防衛相は１７日、南西方面の防空を担う航空自衛隊那覇基地（那覇市）を視察した。覇権主義的動きを強める中国軍に対処する最前線で、任務に当たる隊員に訓示。「沖縄本島は安全保障上極めて重要な位置にある。力による一方的な現状変更を許容しないとのわが国の揺るぎない意思を示す」と述べ、防衛体制強化の意義を強調した。
　防衛省は２０１７年、那覇基地に南西航空方面隊を編成。近年は東シナ海だけでなく太平洋側でも中国軍空母の活動が活発化しており、同隊の緊急発進（スクランブル）は、昨年４～１２月で全国５５５回のうち３２７回を占めた。（2024/02/17-13:07）

Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara on Saturday inspected the Air Self-Defense Force's Naha Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture, which is tasked with air defense in the Nansei southwestern region.
   "The Okinawa main island is located in a key location in terms of national security," Kihara told members of the ASDF base, the country's front line in dealing with the Chinese military's increasingly hegemonic moves.
   "We will show our unwavering resolve not to tolerate any unilateral attempts to change the status quo," he added.
   In 2017, the Defense Ministry established the Southwestern Air Defense Force at the base in the Okinawa capital of Naha.
   Chinese military aircraft carriers are ramping up operations not only in the East China Sea but also in the Pacific over the past few years. Southwestern Air Defense Force aircraft were involved in 327 of the 555 scrambles by ASDF fighter jets in Japan between April and December last year.