TOKYO, Mar 16: Japan is eyeing the deployment of long-range missiles on the island of Kyushu to the southwest of the country in order to enhance its’ defense capabilities, the Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday, citing government sources.
The deployment, scheduled for March 2026, is intended to strengthen the security of Japan’s southwestern Nansei island chain, which is strategically important due to its proximity to Taiwan, whose growing tensions with China are worrisome, the Kyodo news said.
Tokyo is considering placing the missiles at the Japanese Ground-Self Defense Force’s surface-to-ship missile regiment garrisons in the cities of Yufu or Kumamoto in Oita Prefecture, the news agency said. However, the authorities may reportedly face criticism from local administrations and residents, who fear that the areas of missile deployment could become the enemy’s target in the event of an armed conflict. At the same time, the missiles are unlikely to be deployed in the prefecture of Okinawa, which is closer to mainland China, to avoid aggravating tensions with Beijing.
Japan is modifying the Type 12 land-to-ship guided missiles to strengthen its counterstrike capabilities as part of a program to develop stand-off missiles that will be able to hit an enemy from beyond its range. Such missiles are set to be one of the replacements for the US ground-based Aegis Ashore missile defense system, which Japan abandoned in 2020 over the threat of missile’s upper stages falling on residential areas.
The modified missiles will reportedly be able to hit targets at a distance of more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles). The deployment of these missiles in Kyushu would make it possible to hit targets in coastal areas of China and North Korea, the Kyodo News said. (UNI)
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