Japan’s Defense Minister, visiting a military base near Taiwan, confirmed that plans to deploy medium-range surface-to-air missiles on Yonaguni Island are proceeding as scheduled, The Japan Times reports.
The development follows worsening Japan-China relations after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested Japan could act alongside other nations if China attacked Taiwan.
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the missile deployment is intended to protect Yonaguni: “We believe that having this unit in place will actually lower the chances of an armed attack against our country.”
“The view that it will heighten regional tensions is not accurate,” he added.
According to Army Recognition, Japan is expected to deploy the Type 03 medium-range surface-to-air missile system (Chu-SAM), which can engage fighter jets, helicopters, and cruise missiles at ranges up to 50 kilometers and altitudes around 10 kilometers.
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters Sunday that Japan has decided to move forward with the deployment of Type 03 “Chū-SAM Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missiles to the Island of Yonaguni – which sits about 70 miles to the east of Taiwan – amid escalating… pic.twitter.com/yDNeqPeAdM
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China condemned the deployment as a deliberate effort to “create regional tension and provoke military confrontation.”
“Right-wing forces in Japan are… leading Japan and the region towards disaster,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular press briefing. Beijing “is determined and capable of safeguarding its national territorial sovereignty,” she added.
Meanwhile, according to Naval News, the U.S. is also expanding Marine Corps operations on Yonaguni, a key node in its First Island Chain strategy, aimed at bolstering regional deterrence.
