The Defence Ministry is promoting the deployment of Self-Defense Forces missile units in the Nansei chain of islands, where Japan prepares to acquire so-called counterattack capabilities to strike enemy bases
The government is working to extend the range of the Type 12 surface-to-ship missile deployed by the Ground Self-Defense Force from the current range of slightly over 100 kilometers to about 1,000 kilometers, allowing the missile to reach North Korea and coastal areas of China.