Japan Targets Missile Deployment by 2031 to Bolster Defence Near Taiwan
The Japanese government has officially announced the schedule for deploying a ground-to-air missile unit to Yonaguni Island, a remote territory at the westernmost tip bordering Taiwan. Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi stated that the deployment is targeted for completion in fiscal year 2030, or before March 2031.
This marks the first time Tokyo has set a specific timeline since the plan was announced in 2022. Yonaguni Island itself has a strategic position, only 110 kilometers from the coast of Taiwan, making it a front line of Japan’s defence in the region.
Minister Koizumi explained that the unit in Yonaguni will be equipped with a Japanese-made, medium-range ground-to-air missile system capable of intercepting enemy aircraft and missiles. The system has a range of about 50 kilometers with 360-degree radar capability. Its sophistication allows it to track up to 100 targets simultaneously and engage 12 targets at once. In addition to the missile unit, Japan also plans to operate an electronic warfare unit on the island in fiscal year 2026 to disrupt enemy communications and radar.
“The deployment time for the missile unit may change depending on the progress of future facility improvements, but the current plan is for fiscal year 2030,” Koizumi said on Tuesday (February 25).
The announcement comes amid cooling relations between Tokyo and Beijing. Tensions have escalated since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi signaled that Japan would activate its self-defence forces if an attack on Taiwan occurred.
Beijing responded to Tokyo’s firm stance with various economic and diplomatic pressures, ranging from restrictions on rare earth exports, control of tourist flows, to the cancellation of concerts. Most recently, China imposed export restrictions on 20 Japanese companies on the grounds of national security.
Although China has not yet issued an official response to the missile deployment schedule, Beijing had previously lodged a strong protest when Koizumi visited Yonaguni last November.
“Japan is moving to create regional tensions and provoke military confrontation,” said a Beijing statement at the time.
The overwhelming victory of PM Takaichi in the early parliamentary elections this month is seen as giving Tokyo ample political space to multiply its national defence budget and capabilities. The deployment of missiles in Yonaguni is concrete evidence that Japan is now more assertive in maintaining sovereignty and stability in border areas. (BBC/Z-2)