Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu says the government will consider setting up shelters on Okinawa's Ishigaki Island with a possible emergency in Taiwan in mind.

Matsuno is visiting the southwestern island for three days to get a better understanding of the situation and to hear opinions of local residents as the government studies how to protect the people on the Nansei Islands.

Matsuno inspected the port facilities in Ishigaki City on Saturday.

Before the inspection, Ishigaki Mayor Nakayama Yoshitaka asked Matsuno to extend the port's quay and the airport's runway to allow swift evacuation, in addition to building shelters.

Matsuno responded that it may take up to ten days to evacuate all the people, including tourists, from the island, and that emergency shelters would be needed during that time.