Japanese Plans to Deploy Missiles to Island Near Taiwan

The Japanese defense minister said the deployment would help lower the chance of an attack on Japan itself.

Yonaguni island is pictured on Yonaguni, Japan on April 13, 2022. Carl Court/Getty Images

Japan’s top defense official has pledged to move forward with plans to deploy surface-to-air missiles to a military base near Taiwan, as a diplomatic spat between Tokyo and Beijing deepens.

The deployment on Yonaguni Island, just 68 miles off Taiwan’s east coast, would “reduce the likelihood of armed attacks on Japan itself,” Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said on Nov. 23 while touring the Self-Defense Forces base on the island.