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| A mobile launcher for Japan's Type 12 anti-ship missile |
Facing the potential expansion of China's maritime presence in the East China Sea, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force plans to equip its unit near the southwestern island of Kyushu with the country's most advanced Type 12 surface-to-ship missile by 2016, reports the Tokyo-based Japan News Network (JNN).
The JGSDF has already sent a batch of Type 88 anti-ship missiles to Miyako Island's Port of Hirara on June 6. Miyako is part of Japan's Okinawa prefecture and the closest to the disputed Diaoyutai islands (Senkaku to Japan, Diaoyu to China) in the East China Sea. By deploying Type 88 anti-ship missiles, the JGSDF aims to stop vessels of the People's Liberation Army Navy from launching an attack against the contested islands — which are administered by Japan but claimed by Tokyo, Beijing and Taipei.
Read the full story at Want China Times