Members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force fire a Type-12 missile in this undated photo. (Japan Ground Self-Defense Force)
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Japan plans to start operating its new Ground Self-Defense Force missile base on Ishigaki Island in March as part of a plan to bolster defenses in the Nansei Island chain, an Okinawa newspaper reported Wednesday.
The Ministry of Defense is arranging to transport the missiles using Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels next month, most likely around March 18 or 19, according to the report, which cited an unnamed government source.
The Nansei Islands stretch from Kyushu, the southernmost of the four main islands, to within 70 miles of Taiwan. Ishikagi is about 150 miles east of Taiwan.
This undated photo shows a building under construction at Camp Ishigaki on Japan's Ishigaki Island. (Okinawa Defense Bureau)
Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada on Tuesday declined to comment on the movement of missiles and vehicles to the island for “security reasons.” He said Feb. 10 that nothing had been decided about where the upgraded missiles will be placed, according to a video uploaded to the ministry’s website.
A spokesman for the Okinawa Defense Bureau, an arm of the Ministry of Defense, declined by email Wednesday to comment on the Okinawa Times report. Some government spokespeople in Japan are required to speak to the media on condition of anonymity.
The Ministry of Defense started building the new base, Camp Ishigaki, in March 2019 to accommodate about 600 personnel in surface-to-air and surface-to-ship guided-missile units and a security unit, according to the ministry website. Type-12 surface-to-ship guided missiles and Type-03 surface-to-air guided missiles are planned to be deployed at the base.
Japan is developing an upgraded version of the high-speed, truck-mounted Type-12 missile with its range extended from 62 miles to 620 miles, putting potential targets around the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and parts of China and North Korea within reach.
The Ishigaki city assembly in December expressed concerns over the possible deployment of long-range missiles, saying that might “raise tensions and bring danger to the island.”
The members asked for further explanation before their deployment. The request was sent to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Japan’s defense minister and other top political authorities.
