A Japanese missile deployment on Kyushu could annoy China and North Korea, but it would be unlikely to derail improvements in relations between Tokyo and Beijing, according to analysts.
Citing government sources, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported last week that Tokyo was mulling the deployment of long-range missiles – potentially an upgraded version of Japan’s Type-12 surface-to-ship guided missile – on its southwestern island of Kyushu near the East China Sea, which could target the shores of North Korea and mainland China.
