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Japan's Government plans to deploy surface-to-air missiles connected 1 of its distant occidental islands adjacent Taiwan by March 2031, the country's Defence Minister said connected Tuesday (February 24, 2026).
It is the archetypal clip Japan has specified the timing of the deployment. The Ministry announced the program successful 2022 to ramp up its aerial defences connected the island, which already hosts a Japanese subject base.
Japan's Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said astatine a regular property league successful Tokyo that the deployment connected Yonaguni Island would instrumentality spot successful the 2030 fiscal year, which ends successful March of the pursuing calendar year.
The comments travel during a months-long enactment betwixt Japan and China, with Beijing connected Tuesday (February 24) announcing that it was imposing export restrictions connected dozens of Japanese firms that it said were progressive successful gathering up the country's military.
Mr. MKoizumi, who visited Yonaguni successful November, said the Ministry volition clasp a briefing for residents adjacent week connected the island, located astir 110 kilometres (68 miles) eastbound of Taiwan and 1,900 kilometres southwest of Tokyo.
Japan's blimpish Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested successful November that Tokyo could intervene militarily successful immoderate onslaught connected self-ruled Taiwan. China views Taiwan arsenic its territory and has not ruled retired taking it by force.
Since Ms. Takaichi remarked, Beijing has discouraged Chinese nationals from visiting Japan, which deed tourism, 1 of the pillars of the Japanese economy. Beijing's apical diplomat Wang Yi said astatine the Munich Security Conference earlier this period that forces successful Japan were seeking to "revive militarism".
Ms. Takaichi told parliament connected Friday that China was intensifying attempts to alteration the presumption quo "by unit oregon coercion" successful the East China Sea and the South China Sea and has said Japan needs to fortify its defence capabilities.
