Japan’s new Defence Minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, has announced plans to deploy an unspecified number of Type 03 CHU SAM medium-range air and missile defence systems - presumably a full battery - on the island of Yonaguni, the westernmost point of the Japanese archipelago, located roughly 70 miles east of Taiwan. The Type 03 CHU SAM is in service with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF).

The announcement was made during the Minister’s visit to a military installation on the island, which already hosts a radar station dedicated to air and maritime surveillance, as well as a unit tasked with electronic warfare missions.

The decision comes amid rising tensions with China. As Koizumi noted, the deployment aims to strengthen Japan’s deterrence posture and thereby reduce the risk of a Chinese armed attack on the country, particularly in the event of a potential invasion of Taiwan by Beijing.

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