Missiles on Yonaguni set for 2031AFP, TOKYOThe Japanese government plans to deploy surface-to-air missiles on one of its remote western islands near Taiwan by March 2031, the nation’s defense minister said on Tuesday. The defense ministry in 2022 announced a plan to ramp up air defenses on the island, which already hosts a Japanese military base. Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi said at a regular news 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. Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ryosei Akazawa, left, and Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi attend a plenary session of the House of Representatives in Tokyo on Tuesday. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in November last year suggested that Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attack on Taiwan.

Source: Taipei Times February 25, 2026 17:16 UTC