Japan to install missiles near Taiwan: Are China tensions set to spike?
Al Jazeera
Japan plans to deploy missiles near Taiwan, a move analysts say risks deepening regional tensions with China.
Japan’s plans to deploy missiles on its westernmost island, close to Taiwan, within five years will further add to the growing tensions with China, analysts say.
Japanese defence minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the surface-to-air systems – designed to intercept aircraft and ballistic missiles – will be deployed to Yonaguni island, located about 110km (68 miles) east of Taiwan, which is claimed by China as its sovereign territory, by March 2031.
“It depends on the progress of preparing facilities, but we are planning for fiscal 2030,” Koizumi told reporters on Tuesday, providing the clearest timetable so far.
Analysts say the move signals a deliberate hardening of Japan’s posture.
Japan’s decision represents a “calculated escalation that will increase regional tensions,” said Einar Tangen, senior fellow on geopolitics at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI).
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