TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu has spoken with local government leaders and asked them to create plans for the evacuation of 120,000 people from Okinawa with an eye on a conflict in Taiwan.

NHK reported that Matsuno visited Kyushu on Tuesday (Oct. 17), the most southerly of Japan’s four largest islands, with a view to creating evacuation plans by March 2025. On Wednesday he met with local officials to discuss plans to evacuate 120,000 people from Okinawa, a figure which includes 10,000 tourists.

Matsuno also inspected Kumamoto Prefecture’s disaster response center and Kagoshima Port, which are designated as bases for an evacuation response. He said that Kagoshima’s air and sea ports would be key entry points for evacuees.

Okinawa province has a population of about 1.5 million people, and not all would be evacuated in the event of a conflict. In March, Okinawa performed a tabletop simulation of an evacuation, moving 120,000 people out and instructing the rest to shelter in place.

Okinawa is home to a substantial U.S. military presence, which would likely be activated in the event of a cross-strait conflict. Roughly 30,000 U.S. troops are stationed there and have long been a controversial presence on the island.

In July, Okinawan Governor Denny Tamaki said that military buildup on the island would likely increase the chance of conflict in the future. This is in contrast to Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, who in January said Taiwan’s security concerns are “inseparable” from Japan’s own.