Japan arranges to deploy long-range missiles in Kumamoto on Kyushu
Japan is arranging to deploy long-range missiles in Kumamoto on the southwestern island of Kyushu, as part of efforts to acquire "counterstrike capabilities" to strike enemy targets in the event of a national security emergency, government sources said Monday.
The first deployment of an upgraded version of the Ground Self-Defense Force's Type-12 land-to-ship guided missile is expected shortly before the end of the fiscal year through March 2026, at a GSDF garrison in Kumamoto Prefecture, the sources said.
The move is aimed at strengthening the defense of Japan's southwestern Nansei island chain, which is strategically important due to its proximity to Taiwan, amid growing concerns about a potential Chinese invasion of the self-ruled democratic island.
China regards Taiwan as a renegade province that must be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary.
The upgraded Type-12 is being developed as Japan's first domestically produced long-range missile, with a range of around 1,000 kilometers -- enough to reach parts of China from Kyushu.
The Defense Ministry is also considering deploying the missiles to another garrison in Oita Prefecture on Kyushu next spring or later, and possibly to the southern island prefecture of Okinawa in the future, the sources said.
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