Japan to deploy long-range missiles at GSDF camp in Kumamoto City

Alsharq Tribune- Zainab Hussin 

Japan's Defense Ministry has decided to deploy long-range anti-ship missiles, which will be part of the country's counterstrike capabilities, to a Ground Self-Defense Force camp in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan.

The move is viewed as a deterrent to China, whose military is stepping up maneuvers around Japan's Nansei Islands.

The ministry plans to extend the range of GSDF's Type-12 surface-to-ship missile to 1,000 kilometers so they can be used for counterattacks on enemy bases.

The ministry decided that Camp Kengun in Kumamoto City will be the first to have the missiles installed, toward the end of the current fiscal year in March.

Should they be deployed there, they could reach China's coastline and strike almost all of North Korea.

There are seven surface-to-ship missile regiments in Japan, including those in Kumamoto City and the prefectures of Oita and Okinawa.

Ministry sources say the ministry is discussing gradually deploying the upgraded Type-12 missiles to each regiment.