US EditionMissiles, radars and ammunition depots: Japan fortifies Yonaguni island near Taiwan to counter China
Japan is deploying medium-range missiles, surveillance radars, and an electronic warfare unit on Yonaguni to strengthen defense amid rising China-Taiwan tensions, with 83% youth support.
- On Nov 23, Japan's defence minister Shinjiro Koizumi said plans are on track to station medium-range surface-to-air missiles on Yonaguni island, about 110km east of Taiwan, as part of a southern island build-up.
- Tokyo says the moves reflect concerns about China’s growing military power and a potential Taiwan clash, following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Nov 7 comments that angered Beijing, which demands retraction.
- Yonaguni already hosts a surveillance radar and an electronic warfare unit introduced in 2024, while nearby Ishigaki and Miyako feature anti-ship missiles, air surveillance, ammunition storage, and recent US military logistics exercises simulated resupply.
- Tokyo aims to strengthen deterrence by boosting capabilities and US ties, Shinjiro Koizumi told Yonaguni mayor, yet Ryukyu islands residents fear being caught in a regional conflict.
- As tensions intensified, Chinese state-controlled media questioned Japan's sovereignty over the islands and the 2022 US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visit prompted drills with ballistic missiles landing just south of Yonaguni, though some say it won't heighten regional tensions.
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Japan builds up ‘missile archipelago’ near Taiwan to counter China | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
As military tensions between China and Japan reach the highest level in more than a decade, the sparsely populated island of Yonaguni finds itself right on the front lines.
The island of Yonaguni is the last in a series of 160 islets stretching from the Ryukyus to the southwest of Okinawa. For a long time, it attracted only divers because of its stepped terraces and schools of hammerheads. However, it is the westernmost outcrop in Japan, only 110 km from Taiwan, which gives it strategic importance. There are already radars and electronic warfare equipment there. An air defense missile base is being built there.
Missiles, radars and ammunition depots: Japan fortifies Yonaguni island near Taiwan to counter China
The buildup comes as Beijing steps up pressure on Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi over her recent remarks suggesting Japan might intervene militarily if China were to attempt to seize Taiwan
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