TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Japan’s Defense Minister Koizumi Shinjiro announced Tuesday that a Type 03 surface-to-air missile unit will be deployed on Yonaguni Island, Okinawa, in fiscal year 2030.
Yonaguni is about 110 kilometers from Taiwan and is the closest Japanese island to the country. Deploying the missile system there is intended to make Japan’s southwestern frontline harder to disable with low-cost weapons and buy time for coordinated Japanese and US responses in the event of a Taiwan Strait conflict, per Liberty Times.
After taking office last year, Koizumi’s first visit as defense minister was to Yonaguni, Miyako, and Ishigaki islands. When visiting Yonaguni, the minister said plans to deploy Type 03 medium-range SAMs on the island were “steadily moving forward," per NBC News.
Following the visit, China accused him of “trying to create regional tension and provoke military confrontation.” Koizumi insisted Japan’s plan to deploy air-defense missiles on Yonaguni remains unchanged and could advance further.
On Tuesday, Koizumi said the deployment timeline may shift depending on the progress of facility construction. The current plan targets fiscal year 2030, which runs from April 1, 2030, to March 31, marking his first public announcement of a timetable.
To strengthen defense in the southwestern islands, Japan has already deployed the missiles on Miyako and Ishigaki islands and Okinawa’s main island. The Yonaguni deployment plan was first proposed in 2022.
The Type 03 Chu-SAM has a range of about 60 kilometers and is designed to intercept aircraft, drones, and cruise missiles rather than major ballistic missiles. Its primary role is to protect the airspace directly above the islands.
Deploying the missile system signals Japan’s effort to bolster defenses against “gray-zone” and aerial threats, raising the cost of enemy attacks and making Yonaguni more resilient.
As part of the “southwestern shift” of Japan’s defense posture, the Ministry of Defense opened a Ground Self-Defense Force base on Yonaguni in March 2016 and deployed coastal surveillance units.
