Japan is reportedly considering deploying long-range missiles on its southernmost island, putting North Korea and Chinese coastal areas in range amid the Donald Trump administration’s shaky stance on security pacts.
The land-to-ship guided missiles with a range of about 1,000km on the Kyushu island would be capable of hitting targets in North Korea and China and thus boost the country’s “counterstrike capabilities” in the event of an emergency, government sources told news outlet Kyodo.
The upgraded version of Type-12 missile could be deployed at two bases on the island by the end of the next fiscal year in March 2026, it said.
The likely deployment at the Yufu missile garrison in Oita Prefecture and Kengun camp in Kumamoto, however, is raising concerns among local residents who fear an escalation in tensions in the area.
This comes as security guarantees under longstanding Japanese pacts with the US come under threat in Mr Trump’s second term.
Earlier this month, Mr Trump criticised the US-Japan Security Treaty saying that it bound Washington to defend Japan but did not require Tokyo to provide the same guarantees in return. “We have a great relationship with Japan. But we have an interesting deal with Japan that we have to protect them but they don’t have to protect us,” Mr Trump told reporters on 6 March after signing an executive order in the Oval Office.
“And by the way, they make a fortune with us economically,” the president added. “I actually asked who makes these deals?”
First signed in 1951 and revised in 1960, the security treaty allows the US to station military forces in Japan in return for a commitment to defend the Asian country from attack.
The deal was signed back when Japan was still occupied by US forces to maintain a foothold against the communist bloc in Asia during the Cold War.
The treaty underpins the largest overseas US military presence, with about 60,000 personnel currently stationed in Japan.
Japan’s pacifist constitution bars involvement in foreign conflicts. But a decade ago, then prime minister Shinzo Abe eased restrictions, allowing the military to defend allies under attack near Japan.
The expected missile deployment is reportedly aimed at enhancing security in the southwestern Nansei island chain, which is strategically important given its proximity to Taiwan amid fears the self-ruled island can come under attack from China.
