TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan on Thursday unveiled a plan to evacuate about 120,000 people from southern islets near Taiwan, regarded by China as its territory, in case of an emergency.

Ships and planes would be able to transport around 110,000 residents and 10,000 visitors from the Sakishima Islands in Okinawa Prefecture to eight southwestern and western prefectures within six days under the plan.

With tensions between China and Taiwan escalating, the Japanese government said it plans to conduct field drills for evacuations from the southern prefecture of Okinawa in fiscal 2026 from April next year.

The evacuees are expected to first transfer by private ferries or airplanes to certain airports and a port on Japan's southwestern main island of Kyushu, northeast of Okinawa Prefecture, before heading to other evacuation destinations.

The government says the plan is not aimed at any particular scenario, but all the country's islets subject to evacuation are near Taiwan, with Yonaguni Island located only about 100 kilometers from the self-ruled democratic territory.

Taiwan is viewed as a possible military flashpoint that could draw the United States into conflict with China, posing serious security challenges for Japan, a key U.S. ally in Asia.

On Thursday, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the plan is designed to deepen discussions on the evacuation of residents "under the assumption of a situation where armed attacks are predicted."

The effectiveness of efforts to prepare for such a large-scale evacuation has been "improved," as the plan specifies how to transport evacuees, secure accommodation and deliver meals, Hayashi, the top government spokesman, said at a press conference.

In the National Security Strategy long-term policy guidelines updated in 2022, the government pledged to formulate a plan to achieve "prompt evacuation of residents, including those in the southwest region well in advance of an armed attack."

Close to Taiwan in the East China Sea, the Tokyo-administered Senkaku Islands are claimed by Beijing, but they are uninhabited. China and Taiwan have been separately governed since they split as a result of a civil war in 1949.