Japan to Deploy Missiles to Island Near Taiwan, Defense Minister Announces
Yonaguni island, Japan – Japan plans to deploy missiles to Yonaguni Island, its westernmost point, as tensions with China rise, Defence Minister Minoru Koizumi announced during a visit to the island. The move is intended to bolster Japan’s deterrence capabilities and strengthen its alliance with the United States.
The deployment comes after China launched large-scale military drills around Taiwan in response to then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit in 2022, with ballistic missiles landing south of Yonaguni, underscoring the island’s vulnerability in a potential conflict.
“Today, Japan faces the moast severe and complex security surroundings as the end of World War II,” Koizumi stated during a meeting with the mayor of Yonaguni. “to protect the peaceful livelihoods of the Japanese people – including everyone hear on Yonaguni – we must strengthen the Self Defence Forces’ capabilities.”
Yonaguni Island is the final point in the Ryukyu island chain, extending hundreds of miles from the Japanese mainland. Recent days have seen increased tensions with China, including state-controlled media questioning Japan’s sovereignty over the Ryukyu Islands and referencing the historical independence of the Ryukyu Kingdom from Japan centuries ago.
While few residents of the Ryukyu Islands, also known as Okinawa prefecture, actively seek independence, concerns remain about becoming embroiled in a regional conflict should military facilities on the islands become targets.
The missile deployment represents a significant step in Japan’s ongoing efforts to enhance its defence posture amid growing regional instability.
Key Facts:
* Location: Yonaguni Island, Japan (westernmost point)
* Minister: Minoru Koizumi, Japanese Defence Minister
* Context: Response to Chinese military drills following Nancy Pelosi’s taiwan visit in 2022.
* Concern: Chinese questioning of Japanese sovereignty over the Ryukyu Islands.
