Beijing, China – China on Monday condemned Japan’s decision to deploy missiles on Yonaguni Island, near Taiwan. Beijing called it a dangerous escalation that increases regional tensions.
Japanese media quoted Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi as saying that the missile deployment was proceeding according to plan. The deployment aims to reduce the likelihood of an armed attack on Japan.
These developments followed statements by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hinting at the possibility of Tokyo’s military intervention should Taiwan be attacked.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said this trend is accompanied by erroneous statements about Taiwan. Therefore, it poses a serious threat that requires vigilance from neighboring countries and the international community.
Yonaguni Island has hosted a Japanese military base since 2016, despite protests from local residents. Japan has previously announced plans to deploy a Type 03 medium-range surface-to-air missile to protect the island.
For its part, Taiwan asserted that Japan’s strengthening of military installations on Yonaguni Island “contributes to maintaining security in the Taiwan Strait.” Taiwan emphasized that these actions do not pose a threat to other countries.
