Japan to deploy missiles to island near Taiwan, Defence Minister says

Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Japan has to build up its deterrence by increasing its own capabilities and deepening ties with the US military. -- PHOTO: AFP

TOKYO/BEIJING/TAIPEI (Bloomberg): Japan’s defense minister, visiting a military base close to Taiwan, said plans to deploy missiles to the post were on track as tensions smolder between Tokyo and Beijing over the East Asian island.

"The deployment can help lower the chance of an armed attack on our country,” Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters on Sunday as he wrapped up his first trip to the base on the southern Japanese island of Yonaguni. "The view that it will heighten regional tensions is not accurate.”