Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced on the 24th that the Ground Self-Defense Force will deploy air defense missiles on Yonaguni Island in Okinawa Prefecture, located close to Taiwan, by March 2031.
According to Nikkei, Koizumi outlined the missile deployment plan at a press conference, citing contingencies involving Taiwan.
A unit operating the Type 03 medium-range surface-to-air missile system will be established on Yonaguni Island for aircraft and missile interception. The Japanese Ministry of Defense will hold a briefing for local residents on the 2nd of next month.
Yonaguni Island lies approximately 110 kilometers from Taiwan. Self-Defense Forces stationed there primarily conduct coastal surveillance and intelligence gathering and analysis. The Japanese government plans to establish an air electronic warfare unit on the island by March next year to disrupt enemy aircraft communications, followed by the deployment of an air defense missile unit.
China is expected to strongly oppose Japan's missile deployment on Yonaguni Island. When Koizumi visited the island in November last year to explain the deployment plan to residents, China criticized the move as "deliberately creating regional tension and promoting military confrontation."
After Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in parliament in November last year that Japan would "intervene in a Taiwan contingency," China dispatched an aircraft carrier to waters near Okinawa Prefecture and conducted radar lock-ons against Self-Defense Force aircraft, heightening tensions.
Japan has previously refrained from actions that would escalate tensions with China. However, after the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's landslide victory in the House of Representatives election on the 8th of this month solidified Prime Minister Takaichi's power base, the announcement of the missile deployment plan is interpreted as Japan taking a harder stance against China.