Japan to deploy missiles to Yonaguni Island by fiscal 2030, defense chief says

Japan plans to deploy medium-range surface-to-air missiles to Okinawa Prefecture’s Yonaguni Island — just 110 kilometers east of Taiwan — by fiscal 2030, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Tuesday.

“Currently, we are proceeding with necessary tasks, such as basic studies concerning facility improvements for the deployment of troops to the eastern side of the garrison,” Koizumi told a regular news conference.

But Koizumi also added a caveat, saying that “the timing for the deployment of the medium-range surface-to-air unit may change depending on the progress of future facility improvements, but the current plan is for fiscal year 2030.”