Overview
- Tokyo plans to position Type 03 surface-to-air units on Yonaguni, roughly 110 kilometers from Taiwan, with local notification to follow once details are finalized.
- China accused Japan of escalating regional tensions and said the step crosses a “red line,” taking the grievance to the UN.
- Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi framed the deployment as protecting residents and deterring attack, with the truck-mounted system engaging aerial threats at about 48–50 kilometers.
- Media reports in Japan described contingency measures that include potential evacuations from Kyushu and building shelters on southwest islands for up to two weeks of protection.
- Pro-China accounts intensified an online propaganda push criticizing Japan over the decision, according to the coverage’s review of social-media activity.