Dozens of people stood outside of the camp, shouting “Stop long-range missile deployment” and holding banners carrying messages of protest. A vehicle believed to be carrying long-range missile-related equipment enters the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Kengun Garrison in Kumamoto City, Japan, yesterday. The Japanese Ministry of Defense last year moved up the schedule of the missiles’ deployment by one year. It has deployed PAC-3 interceptors and midrange surface-to-air missiles on many of the islands, including Okinawa, Ishigaki and Miyako. Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi last month said Japan would deploy the midrange surface-to-air missiles on Japan’s westernmost island of Yonaguni, just east of Taiwan, by March 2031.

Source: Taipei Times March 09, 2026 16:27 UTC