Japanese authorities are to deploy missiles with a range of up to 1,000km on the island of Kyushu before the end of this year, Japanese media reported yesterday.
The medium-range missile systems would be capable of striking enemy vessels in the Taiwan Strait, and bases in China and North Korea, enhancing Japan’s defense capabilities and serving to protect Taiwan from a potential Chinese military attack, Kyodo News reported.
Deployment of the land-based anti-ship missile systems would begin by the end of this year, Kyodo News said, citing anonymous sources.
Photo: AP
Multiple government sources said that the missiles would be an upgraded version of Mitsubishi’s Type 12 surface-to-ship missile, Kyodo News reported.
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force already has land-based anti-ship missile units on Kyushu, and potential deployment sites for the new missiles include Yufu in the island’s Oita Prefecture, and a garrison in Kumamoto City, it said.
However, as the missile sites could become potential targets for attacks, opposition from residents are expected, it said.
To address such concerns, the government would hold briefing sessions to gain local support, it added.
Although Okinawa is geographically closer to China, the Japanese government is wary of deploying new missiles there, as doing so could further escalate regional tensions, the report said.
As a result, Okinawa would not be included in the initial phase of the missiles’ deployment, it said.
The decision to deploy the new missiles is being seen by some military analysts as a shift in Japan’s defense strategy toward a more offensive-oriented “counterstrike capability,” it said.
Japanese authorities hope the deployment could serve as a deterrent to threats from North Korea, as well as a “check on China’s military actions in the Taiwan Strait,” the report said.
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
RSS