Responding to a report in the Tokyo Shimbun, a Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force spokesman confirmed July 2 that discussions are under way regarding the possible deployment of defense forces to Yonaguni, the westernmost island at the end of the Ryukyu chain, approximately 75 miles east of Taiwan and 100 miles from the disputed Diaoyutai/Senkaku islands (which are claimed by Japan, China and Taiwan). Currently, Japanese forces are regularly stationed only as far south as Okinawa. The shift in force disposition, should it occur, in part reflects Japan's increased attention to the security of its southern islands, rather than the Cold War focus on the more populous northern islands, which were closer to the Soviet Union (though Japan's political attention to the disposition of the Northern Islands, still in Russian hands since World War II, has not diminished). This shift in Japan's focus comes as China has expanded its maritime activities and is seeking to enhance its claims to disputed islands and extended territorial waters. In 2004, during a similar defense review, Japan was already looking at moving forces further along the Ryukyu chain, with a proposal to move some of its F-15J squadrons to Shimoji island, just east of Yonaguni. That move was in line with proposals for the repositioning of U.S. forces from Okinawa, an issue that amounted to a political and social minefield. The move never took place, but the renewed focus on Japan's southern and western reaches was clear. Earlier this year, Tokyo announced an ambitious 10-year undersea survey of seabed mineral and energy resources in the waters around Japan, further focusing on the full extent of its maritime territorial claims. As Japan reassesses its defense program and plans for the future, three main issues are contributing to the emerging shape. First is North Korea, which Japan sees less as an immediate threat than as prime justification for many of its other defense changes. Second is China, the core focus of Japan's defense review. Beijing is growing increasingly confident, and much more active in pushing its own defense activities abroad, and Tokyo is adjusting accordingly. The final element, related to the second one, is the issue of securing maritime access, sub-sea resources and territorial claims. Throughout the region, as the economic crisis bites and as incentives for shorter supply routes and access to nearby resources grow, nationalism and concerns of territorial integrity are growing apace. Competition over the South China Sea and the East China Sea is ratcheting up, and the various players are stepping up their maritime patrol activities, in concert with their political activities. As Japan considers its future defense plans, these issues weigh heavily in the discussion process.