China-Taiwan tension brings troops, missiles and anxiety to Japan’s paradise island of Ishigaki

Ishigaki, Japan — President Biden hosted Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at an official state dinner in Washington on Wednesday evening, showcasing the importance of the U.S.-Japanese relationship. Washington is counting on that close alliance to help limit China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Tension has been especially high recently over China’s not-so-subtle threats that it could take over the island of Taiwan by force. Taiwan is a democracy that lies roughly 100 miles off the Chinese coast. The United States, also not so subtly, has implied that it would protect Taiwan against a Chinese invasion, and that allies including…