A Shanghai company with a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) background is constructing mega-solar power plants near the Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, the most important U.S. military base in Japan. Takashi Ishimoto, a member of the Iwakuni city council, expressed concern about the CCP’s involvement in the project and its potential impact on national security. The two major solar power plants are located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, specifically in Miwa-cho, Iwakuni city and Yanai city, sandwiching the U.S. military base. Ishimoto raised the issue on social media and called for attention to the matter.
Shanghai Electric Power, an affiliate of the state-owned China Power Investment Corporation, is responsible for the construction of these solar power plants. They have been involved in overseas projects in various countries, including Japan. In September 2021, the company acquired the entire equity of the Yamaguchi Iwakuni photovoltaic project. The project aims to install 300,000 solar panels over 117 hectares of land, with a power output equivalent to the energy consumption of about 22,500 households. Construction began in November 2019 and is scheduled to be connected to the grid in June 2023.
The construction of these mega-solar power plants has faced opposition from local residents due to concerns about landslides, soil contamination, depletion of water wells, and environmental damage. Mr. Ishimoto has actively sought to communicate with Shanghai Electric Power but has been unable to discuss the project with the company’s chief. He has also discovered that Shanghai Electric Power is involved in the construction of solar power plants throughout Japan, including locations near military installations, nuclear plants, transmission towers, and transit stations. This has raised questions about the motives behind the Chinese acquisition of power plants and land in Japan.
In addition to the solar power plant construction, Chinese buyers have shown interest in acquiring land near military bases. One example is a small island called Kasashima in Iwakuni, where a Chinese buyer purchased a portion of the island and is building villas or condominiums. This island is located in close proximity to the Yanai solar power station and forms part of a strategic surrounding of the Iwakuni U.S. Air Force Base from the north and south.
Mr. Ishimoto also highlighted the potential threat posed by the solar power plants to military aircraft, as they are located directly below the flight path of fighter jets in Iwakuni. This could allow for tracking and obstructing the flight patterns of the U.S. Air Force and its aircraft. Given the strategic significance of the Iwakuni base in suppressing the CCP, controlling power generation facilities and land around the base through Chinese buyers could facilitate espionage measures, intelligence-gathering activities, and interference in the military activities of the United States and Japan.
Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni is a paramount U.S. military facility shared by the U.S. Marine Corps and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. It is the most extensive U.S. military air base in the Far East and plays a central role in the war effort. The presence of the carrier force and the mission to suppress the CCP makes it crucial for the CCP to control the power generation facilities and land surrounding the base. Japan is the only country where the U.S. military deploys aircraft carriers overseas and the only country where the U.S. Marine Corps has air bases overseas.