Japanese authorities are to deploy missiles with a range of up to 1,000km on the island of Kyushu before the end of this year, Japanese media reported yesterday.
The medium-range missile systems would be capable of striking enemy vessels in the Taiwan Strait, and bases in China and North Korea, enhancing Japan’s defense capabilities and serving to protect Taiwan from a potential Chinese military attack, Kyodo News reported.
Deployment of the land-based anti-ship missile systems would begin by the end of this year, Kyodo News said, citing anonymous sources.
Photo: AP
Multiple government sources said that the missiles would be an upgraded version of Mitsubishi’s Type 12 surface-to-ship missile, Kyodo News reported.
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force already has land-based anti-ship missile units on Kyushu, and potential deployment sites for the new missiles include Yufu in the island’s Oita Prefecture, and a garrison in Kumamoto City, it said.
However, as the missile sites could become potential targets for attacks, opposition from residents are expected, it said.
To address such concerns, the government would hold briefing sessions to gain local support, it added.
Although Okinawa is geographically closer to China, the Japanese government is wary of deploying new missiles there, as doing so could further escalate regional tensions, the report said.
As a result, Okinawa would not be included in the initial phase of the missiles’ deployment, it said.
The decision to deploy the new missiles is being seen by some military analysts as a shift in Japan’s defense strategy toward a more offensive-oriented “counterstrike capability,” it said.
Japanese authorities hope the deployment could serve as a deterrent to threats from North Korea, as well as a “check on China’s military actions in the Taiwan Strait,” the report said.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) is to begin his one-year alternative military service tomorrow amid ongoing legal issues, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. Wang, who last month was released on bail of NT$150,000 (US$4,561) as he faces charges of allegedly attempting to evade military service and forging documents, has been ordered to report to Taipei Railway Station at 9am tomorrow, the Alternative Military Service Training and Management Center said. The 33-year-old would join about 1,300 other conscripts in the 263rd cohort of general alternative service for training at the Chenggong Ling camp in Taichung, a center official told reporters. Wang would first
MINOR DISRUPTION: The outage affected check-in and security screening, while passport control was done manually and runway operations continued unaffected The main departure hall and other parts of Terminal 2 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport lost power on Tuesday, causing confusion among passengers before electricity was fully restored more than an hour later. The outage, the cause of which is still being investigated, began at about midday and affected parts of Terminal 2, including the check-in gates, the security screening area and some duty-free shops. Parts of the terminal immediately activated backup power sources, while others remained dark until power was restored in some of the affected areas starting at 12:23pm. Power was fully restored at 1:13pm. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a
RSS