Tokyo, Mar 9 (EFE).– Japan announced Monday that it was preparing to deploy its first domestically developed long-range missiles this month, after transporting launchers and other equipment to the southwest of the archipelago, amid what it describes as a more stringent security environment.
The improved Type-12 missiles of the Ground Self-Defense Force, part of Japan’s effort to develop domestically produced weaponry and with a range of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles), will be deployed at the end of March in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japanese government spokesperson Minoru Kihara said at a press conference.
Local authorities have demanded a detailed explanation regarding the deployment, Kihara added.
According to Japanese newspaper The Mainichi, the movement of launchers on Monday was met with criticism and protests from local residents due to the apparent lack of information from the defense ministry.
The planned deployment comes as Japan faces its most severe and complex security environment since the war, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Monday in a congratulatory message to graduates of National Defense Medical College.
The conservative leader has reiterated the need for Japan to strengthen its defense capabilities, alluding in the past to North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Takaichi also promised to update three key security and defense documents this year and evolve strategically accordingly.
The deployment of long-range missiles comes amid a dispute between Tokyo and Beijing, tensions that date back to late 2025 when Takaichi said that the Japan Self-Defense Forces could intervene in the event of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
In recent months, both countries have exchanged diplomatic protests and public warnings amid escalating tensions related to regional security and the situation in the Taiwan Strait, an island whose sovereignty China claims and for whose «reunification» it has not ruled out the use of force. EFE
daa/pd
