随著中日关系恶化，北京透过环球时报等官媒再度质疑日本对冲绳与琉球群岛的主权，延续自2010年代以来的宣传攻势。2013年人民日报曾在尖阁国有化后挑战日本主权，2017年日本公安调查厅指出，中方宣传意在塑造冲绳亲中舆论并在国内制造分裂。学者认为，中国以「屈辱历史需重写」的叙事，巧妙结合部分冲绳人对琉球王国时代的怀旧情绪。
同时，日本在南西诸岛强化防卫力量成为焦点。与台湾相距约110公里的与那国岛2016年设置陆上自卫队基地，政府现计划部署电子战部队与防空飞弹，引发居民对遭受攻击与「先发制人」印象的忧虑。主岛上普天间基地迁往名护市边野古的方案近30年未解，噪音、污染与美军犯罪加深对基地负担的不满，也成为中国认知战操作的土壤。
在美国于12月发布国家安全战略、要求日韩增加军费并强化第一岛链之际，若美国在亚洲的介入减弱，威慑缝隙恐让冲绳承受更大风险。明年名护市长选举与秋季县知事选举恐成认知作战与假讯息战场。专家警告，只要加剧冲绳社会对基地负担的不满并扩散「冲绳倾向中国」的印象，就足以在冲绳与日本本土之间打入楔子，东京必须制定长期解方。
As tensions with Japan escalate, Beijing is again challenging Tokyo’s sovereignty over Okinawa and the wider Ryukyu Islands, continuing a campaign that has intensified since the 2010s. A Global Times editorial on November 19 and earlier People’s Daily pieces from 2013 question Japan’s control, while a 2017 report by Japan’s Public Security Intelligence Agency warned that Chinese messaging aims to cultivate pro‑China opinion in Okinawa and foster internal division by exploiting nostalgia for the old Ryukyu Kingdom.
In parallel, Japan’s defense buildup in the Nansei Islands has become a flashpoint. On Yonaguni Island, about 110 kilometers from Taiwan, a Ground Self‑Defense Force base established in 2016 is slated to gain an electronic warfare unit and air defense missiles, splitting local opinion between perceived community benefits and fear of becoming a target. On Okinawa’s main island, the planned relocation of the U.S. Futenma base to Henoko has remained unresolved for nearly three decades amid noise, pollution, and crime concerns that deepen resentment toward base burdens.
These local grievances intersect with broader strategic shifts. The U.S. National Security Strategy released on December 4 highlights the First Island Chain through Okinawa and urges Japan and South Korea to boost defense spending and capabilities, raising the risk to Okinawa if U.S. engagement wanes and Japanese deterrence lags. Upcoming elections in Nago and the Okinawa gubernatorial race are likely targets of cognitive warfare and disinformation. Analysts argue that merely amplifying dissatisfaction over military burdens and spreading the narrative that Okinawa leans toward China could drive a wedge between Okinawa and mainland Japan, underscoring the need for a long‑term strategy from Tokyo.