This marks the first time Japan has clearly specified a timeline for the deployment.
Japan’s Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told a regular news conference in Tokyo that a Japanese military base already exists on the island. Plans to further strengthen air defence capabilities there were first announced in 2022.
The missile deployment on Yonaguni is set to begin in fiscal year 2030 and will be completed by March of the following calendar year. The island lies about 110 kilometres east of Taiwan and roughly 1,900 kilometres southwest of Tokyo. The defence ministry will hold a briefing for local residents next week regarding the plan, the minister added.
Tensions between Japan and China have been running high for several months.
On Tuesday, Beijing announced export restrictions on dozens of Japanese firms, accusing them of being linked to Japan’s military expansion.
Japan’s conservative Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi indicated last November that Tokyo could consider military intervention in the event of an attack on self-ruled Taiwan.
Following those remarks, Beijing discouraged Chinese citizens from travelling to Japan, a move that has affected Japan’s tourism industry—one of the pillars of its economy.
Earlier this month, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi said at the Munich Security Conference that certain forces in Japan were attempting to “revive militarism.”
Prime Minister Takaichi told parliament on Friday that China has intensified efforts to alter the status quo in the East China Sea and the South China Sea through “coercion or the use of force,” underscoring the need for Japan to further strengthen its defence capabilities.
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