Japan’s top defense official has pledged to move forward with plans to deploy surface-to-air missiles to a military base near Taiwan, as a diplomatic spat between Tokyo and Beijing deepens.
The deployment on Yonaguni Island, just 68 miles off Taiwan’s east coast, would “reduce the likelihood of armed attacks on Japan itself,” Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said on Nov. 23 while touring the Self-Defense Forces base on the island.
Yonaguni is part of the Sakishima archipelago and represents Japan’s closest point to Taiwan. Since 2016, the island has hosted a Self-Defense Forces surveillance and security unit, marking a key step in Tokyo’s efforts to bolster defenses in its southwestern island chain….
Japanese Plans to Deploy Missiles to Island Near Taiwan
