It will be deployed next at Camp Fuji in Shizuoka, west of Tokyo, later this year. Japan considers China a growing security threat and has pushed a military buildup on southwestern islands near the East China Sea. It has deployed PAC-3 interceptors and midrange surface-to-air missiles on many of the islands, including Okinawa, Ishigaki and Miyako. Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi last month said Japan will deploy the midrange SAMs on Japan's westernmost island of Yonaguni, just east of Taiwan, by March 2031. Takaichi has pledged to revise security and defense policy by the end of the year and seeks to further bolster Japan's military with unmanned combative weapons and long-range missiles.

Source: The Telegraph March 09, 2026 05:57 UTC