Japan has reaffirmed that it plans to deploy a surface-to-air missile system to one of its far-flung southwestern islands that’s near Taiwan, drawing a sharp rebuke from Beijing.
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters on Sunday that Tokyo would be deploying Type 03 Chu-SAM surface-to-air missiles on Yonaguni Island, which lies about 68 miles east of the island of Taiwan.
“The deployment can help lower the chance of an armed attack on our country,” Koizumi said during a visit to a Japanese military base on the island, according to Bloomberg. “The view that it will heighten regional tensions is not accurate.”
The Chu-SAM missiles have a range of about 30 miles, meaning they can’t reach Taiwan, but the confirmation of the deployment comes against the backdrop of growing tensions between Beijing and Tokyo and Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, saying that a Chinese military blockade of Taiwan could be grounds for a Japanese military response.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning cited Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan when she condemned the Japanese missile deployment to Yonaguni at a press conference on Monday.
“Japan’s deployment of offensive weapons in Southwest Islands close to China’s Taiwan region is a deliberate move that breeds regional tensions and stokes military confrontation,” Mao said. “Given Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s erroneous remarks on Taiwan, this move is extremely dangerous and should put Japan’s neighboring countries and the international community on high alert.”
Japan has engaged in a US-encouraged military buildup in recent years that China says goes against Tokyo’s pacifist constitution that was imposed by US occupation forces after World War II, and the Potsdam Declaration, a statement that outlined the terms of surrender for Imperial Japan.
“The Potsdam Proclamation explicitly stipulates that Japan shall not be permitted to ‘re-arm for war.’ The Japanese Constitution, which enshrines pacifism, also established Japan’s exclusively defense-oriented policy,” Mao told reporters.
“It is alarming, however, that in recent years, Japan has drastically readjusted its security and defense policy, increased defense budget year after year, relaxed restrictions on arms export, sought to develop offensive weapons, and planned to abandon its three non-nuclear principles,” she added.
