AdvertisementAdvertisementEast AsiaThis is the first time Japan has specified the timing of its deployment of surface-to-air missiles on Yonaguni island.A general view of Yonaguni Island, Okinawa prefecture, on Aug 18. 2022. (File photo: AFP/Philip Fong)24 Feb 2026 07:21PM (Updated: 24 Feb 2026 07:30PM) Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInAdd CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.Read a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST TOKYO: Japan's government plans to deploy surface-to-air missiles on one of its remote western islands near Taiwan by March 2031, the country's defence minister said on Tuesday (Feb 24).It is the first time Japan has specified the timing of the deployment.The ministry announced the plan in 2022 to ramp up its air defences on the island, which already hosts a Japanese military base.Japan's defence minister Shinjiro Koizumi said at a regular press conference in Tokyo that the deployment on Yonaguni island would take place in the 2030 fiscal year, which ends in March of the following calendar year.The comments come during a months-long row between Japan and China, with Beijing on Tuesday announcing that it was imposing export restrictions on dozens of Japanese firms that it said were involved in building up the country's military. China tightens Japanese trade restrictions as spat worsensJapan’s ‘Traitor Takaichi’ hit with online smear campaign using fake accountsKoizumi, who visited Yonaguni in November, said the ministry will hold a briefing for local residents next week on the island, located roughly 110km east of Taiwan and 1,900km southwest of Tokyo.Japan's conservative Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November that Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attack on self-ruled Taiwan.China views Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out taking it by force.Since Takaichi made the remark, Beijing has discouraged Chinese nationals from visiting Japan, which hit tourism, one of the pillars of the Japanese economy.Beijing's top diplomat Wang Yi said at the Munich Security Conference earlier this month that forces in Japan were seeking to "revive militarism".Takaichi told parliament on Friday that China was intensifying attempts to change the status quo "by force or coercion" in the East China Sea and the South China Sea and has said Japan needs to strengthen its defence capabilities.Japan protests China comments on reviving 'militarism'Source: AFP/rlNewsletterWeek in ReviewSubscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in ReviewOur chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.NewsletterMorning BriefSubscribe to CNA’s Morning BriefAn automated curation of our top stories to start your day.Sign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST