Japanese soldiers lower the flag on Miyako Island.
Image: Reuters/Issei Kato
After China fired missiles across Taiwan toward Japanese islands, Tokyo responded. Apparently, 1000 cruise missiles are to be stationed in such a way that they can also reach China.
Japan wants to station 1,000 long-range cruise missiles to increase its effectiveness against China. This is reported by the Japanese newspaper “Yomiuri” in its Sunday edition. Citing government officials, the paper writes that the guided missiles are existing weapons whose range is to be increased from 100 kilometers to 1,000 kilometers.
The missiles are to be stationed mainly around the Nansei Islands in the south, to which Okinawa belongs. From there they could reach the coasts of North Korea and China, the article says. The Japanese Foreign Ministry has not yet commented on the report.
Under Japan’s pacifist constitution, the military can only deploy in self-defense. The country has increased its military spending in recent years.
After a visit to Taiwan by the head of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, tensions in the region intensified again. Among other things, Beijing fired missiles near Taiwan and in Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
