![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="696px" width="1024px" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="352px" width="848px" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
Japan is reportedly considering the deployment of long-range missiles on its southwestern Kyushu island for enhanced “counterstrike capabilities” against China and North Korea.
Government sources said that the move could begin by the end of the next fiscal year in March 2026, potentially housing the weapons at the Japan Ground-Self Defense Force’s (JGSDF) surface-to-ship missile regiment garrisons in Yufu in Oita Prefecture and the city of Kumamoto.
The JGSDF selected its Type-12 land-to-ship guided missile, which has an operational range of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles), according to Japanese outlet Kyodo News.
Kyushu faces the East China Sea to the west and the Korean Peninsula to the northwest, and it is approximately 905 kilometers (562 miles) north of the island of Okinawa, which hosts Japanese and American military bases — the closest to China and Taiwan.
However, the sources said the military would refrain from placing long-range missiles in Okinawa as it could risk exacerbating heightened regional tensions.
Japanese Defense
Deploying missiles on Kyushu island is widely considered Tokyo’s deterrent against a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan and military assertiveness in the East China Sea, in addition to North Korea’s ballistic missile threats.
Moreover, it is a sign that Japan is taking a more proactive stance in its defense, following the US’ call for Tokyo to hike defense spending to 3 percent of its GDP, similar to President Donald Trump’s demand for a 5 percent increase for NATO allies and 10 percent for Taiwan.
“It is clear to anyone who is watching this carefully that the US-Japan alliance is in bad shape,” said Robert Dujarric, Co-Director of the Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies at Temple University in Tokyo, to The Guardian.
“Even if China attacked Japan, there is no guarantee that the US under Trump would do anything. That is a big problem.”
Previously, Japan deepened security ties with the Philippines and signed a $200-million deal with Washington to aid its Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectiles program.
