Japan arranges to deploy long-range missiles in Kumamoto on Kyushu
Japan is arranging to deploy long-range missiles in Kumamoto on the southwestern island of Kyushu, as part of efforts to acquire "counterstrike capabilities" to strike enemy targets in the event of a national security emergency, government sources said Monday.
The first deployment of an upgraded version of the Ground Self-Defense Force's Type-12 land-to-ship guided missile is expected shortly before the end of the fiscal year through March 2026, at a GSDF garrison in Kumamoto Prefecture, the sources said.
The move is aimed at strengthening the defense of Japan's southwestern Nansei island chain, which is strategically important due to its proximity to Taiwan, amid growing concerns about a potential Chinese invasion of the self-ruled democratic island.
China regards Taiwan as a renegade province that must be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary.
The upgraded Type-12 is being developed as Japan's first domestically produced long-range missile, with a range of around 1,000 kilometers -- enough to reach parts of China from Kyushu.
The Defense Ministry is also considering deploying the missiles to another garrison in Oita Prefecture on Kyushu next spring or later, and possibly to the southern island prefecture of Okinawa in the future, the sources said.
© KYODO
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Diplomat
13 hours ago
- The Diplomat
Philippines' Marcos to Visit India as Navies Hold First South China Sea Exercise
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to visit India this week, a trip that is set to coincide with the first bilateral naval exercise between the two countries in the South China Sea. Marcos is set to visit the country on August 4-8, the Hindustan Times reported yesterday, citing 'people familiar with the matter.' During Marcos' visit, his first to India since taking office in June 2022, he will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and 'deliver a speech on the theme of the Philippines and India as partners for a rules-based order' on August 6. While the trip has seemingly not yet been officially announced by either side, he will presumably also meet with a range of other Indian officials and business leaders during the lengthy visit. The Hindustan Times also reported that on August 3, India and the Philippines will begin a two-day 'bilateral maritime cooperative activity,' or MCA, in waters close to the Scarborough Shoal, a focal point of the maritime dispute between China and the Philippines. The exercise 'will focus on enhancing inter-operability and maritime cooperation' and will commence after an August 2 port visit in Manila by four Indian warships: the guided missile destroyer INS Delhi, the survey ship INS Sandhayak, the fleet tanker INS Shakti, and the anti-submarine warfare corvette INS Kiltan. Aside from the survey vessel, these warships will then reportedly take part in the exercise, the aim of which is 'to further strengthen the robust maritime relationship between the Philippine Navy and the Indian Navy,' Philippine Navy Capt. John Alcos told USNI News. Scarborough Shoal lies around 198 kilometers due west of Luzon, well within the Philippines' internationally recognized exclusive economic zone (EEZ). But the triangular shoal fell under China's control after a 10-week stand-off with the Philippines in 2012, and the China Coast Guard has maintained a nearly permanent presence at the shoal in the 11 years since. The Shoal has been one of several features in the South China Sea that have become flashpoints between China and the Philippines over the past few years, as Beijing has ramped up the frequency and intensity of its incursions into the Philippines' EEZ, which it claims under its expansive 'nine-dash line' claim. These have resulted in a number of dangerous high-seas encounters between the two nations' coast guard vessels, which have pushed the two countries close to conflict. In the case of Scarborough Shoal, most of the tensions have involved Chinese attempts to block Filipino fishermen from accessing the shoal's fish-rich internal lagoon. The Chinese encroachments have prompted the Philippines to expand maritime cooperation with its long-time security ally, the United States, and other 'like-minded' partners, including Australia, Canada, and Japan. During his State of the Nation address last week, Marcos said that such alliances helped make the Philippines more secure. 'Our confidence is higher because we have more allies, which would support us in the time of grave need,' he said, referring to ongoing frictions in the South China Sea. The fact that India is now reportedly joining in these efforts is unsurprising, given its shared concerns about China's growing maritime power, including in the South China Sea. Last year, India revised its stance on the 2016 South China Sea arbitral ruling, moving from acknowledgement of the ruling to active calls for adherence to the judgment. The ruling supported most of the Philippines' claims and said that China's maximalist claims have no ruling under international maritime law. The planned MCA marks an important expansion of naval cooperation between India and the Philippines, moving it beyond more basic engagements such as passing exercises and disaster response operations. It also extends a gradual strengthening of defense cooperation between the two sides. In 2022, the Philippines became the first foreign country to purchase India's BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, the second batch of which were delivered to the country in April of this year. Manila is also reported to be in talks for the purchase of the shorter-range Akash missile. As Collin Koh of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University told Newsweek, 'If this is the first bilateral MCA between India and the Philippines as designated officially, it sends a clear signal that India is signaling to be overtly supporting the Philippines in the South China Sea row with Beijing.'
Asahi Shimbun
13 hours ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Macao police arrest former pro-democracy lawmaker for colluding with foreign forces
Veteran pro-democracy activist and former lawmaker Au Kam San poses for a photo during an interview in Macao, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo) HONG KONG--Police in Macao detained a man believed to be a prominent pro-democracy advocate on suspicion of colluding with outside forces in breach of the national security law. Local media outlets reported former pro-democracy lawmaker Au Kam San was the suspect. A police statement Thursday said the 68-year-old Macao resident with the surname Au allegedly colluded with an anti-China group outside of the city and provided false and seditious materials for public display online or abroad. The man, whose full name was not disclosed in the statement, also was accused of maintaining long-term contact with multiple anti-China entities outside of Macao and repeatedly providing unfounded information to them or their media outlets for dissemination. 'This was intended to incite hatred against China's central government and Macao's government among Macao residents and even people from other countries who may not understand the truth,' police said. The authorities added that the acts aimed to undermine Macao's 2024 chief executive election and trigger hostile actions by foreign countries against Macao. Au was taken from his home Wednesday afternoon for investigation, they said. Local media outlets in Hong Kong and Macao reported the man was Au. Online outlet All About Macao said it was the first publicly known arrest under the national security law after the legislation was enacted in 2009 and revised in 2023. Au's wife arrived at the prosecution's office on Thursday and was listed as a 'witness,' the outlet added. The Associated Press could not reach Au by phone Thursday afternoon. Au served as a pro-democracy lawmaker in Macao's legislature dominated by Beijing loyalists before stepping down in 2021. He remained a rare voice in the city who still regularly criticized government measures and political development on Facebook and in media interviews. Since the former Portuguese colony returned to Chinese rule in 1999, Macao has grown from a monopoly-driven gambling enclave into the world's biggest gaming hub. Under Beijing's grip, its pro-democracy camp was never as influential as the one in neighboring city Hong Kong, which is a former British colony that returned to China in 1997. Its government also faced far less massive protests challenging its rule when compared to Hong Kong. More intrusive political controls were introduced to the casino hub in recent years, especially after huge anti-government protests in Hong Kong in 2019 that led Beijing to crack down on virtually all public dissent. A vigil commemorating China's bloody 1989 military crackdown on the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests was banned. Pro-democracy figures were barred from running in Macao's 2021 legislative elections. Earlier this month, an incumbent lawmaker known for his centrist stance was also disqualified from running in this year's legislative election.
Nikkei Asia
14 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
South Korea's chip push and dark days for Japan Display
Hello. This is Kenji from Tokyo, your host for this week's #techAsia newsletter. Much of Japan has been hit by blistering heat waves for days and weeks, and the debate over U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff, trade and investment policy remains just as hot. Under the scorching Tokyo sun on Tuesday, Chinese government officials extended an olive branch to Japanese businesses, promoting the country's biggest trade exhibition, the Canton Fair. Luo Xiaomei, minister in charge of economic and commercial affairs at the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo, and Ma Fengmin, deputy director general of the China Foreign Trade Centre, the organizer of the fair, were helped in this effort by the Association for the Promotion of International Trade, Japan (JAPIT), a traditionally pro-Beijing Japanese business group. JAPIT is one of the seven major bilateral "friendship organizations" and traces its history back to 1954, 18 years before the opening of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Masahito Yasuda, senior executive director at JAPIT, said the Trump administration's trade policy is bringing uncertainty to the economic outlook, leading to "the need to enhance economic cooperation between Japan and China more than ever." There was no mention of heightened personal security risks following the sentencing in Beijing of a Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma over espionage charges or mounting tensions over the East China Sea during the gathering. Japan, the European Union and South Korea have all agreed with the Trump administration to set their "reciprocal" tariffs at 15%, with a similar rate on cars, in exchange for making substantial investments and purchasing American goods. India, an increasingly important hub for iPhone production, has been hit with a 25% rate. China, meanwhile, faces an Aug. 12 deadline to reach a tariff agreement. The most recent negotiations between the two countries in Stockholm failed to produce a major breakthrough, with U.S. tech export controls seen as one of the sticking points. South Korea's chip drive Amid the massive uncertainty of Trump's tariff policy, South Korea's big tech players continued to chart a path forward, both commercially and technologically, in chips. Samsung Electronics has clinched a $16.5 billion deal to supply semiconductors for Tesla by the end of 2033, marking a major win in its contract chipmaking business. Nikkei Asia's Kim Jaewon reported that while Samsung kept its customer name confidential by only referring to it as a "big global company," Tesla CEO Elon Musk spilled the beans on his X account. Musk further revealed that Samsung's new site in Texas "will be dedicated to making Tesla's next-generation AI6 chip." The deal is a major relief for Samsung, which is set to invest over $37 billion in Texas in the coming years, as the South Korean chipmaker looks to catch up with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the global leader in the chip foundry business. Separately, LG Electronics is working to develop a hybrid bonder, a device that attaches multiple chips together in the same package, according to Nikkei's Nami Matsuura. This marks LG's full-fledged entry into chipmaking devices, a segment stimulated by the growing demand for high bandwidth memory (HBM) used for generative artificial intelligence applications. Hanmi Semiconductor, which holds a 90% global share in a device called thermocompression (TC) bonders used to manufacture HBM, is investing 100 billion won ($72.3 million) to build a new hybrid bonder plant in the city of Incheon, with plans to begin operations next year. The company's ambition is to break into the top 10 global chipmaking device producers by the end of the decade. Secret shipments At least $1 billion worth of Nvidia's advanced artificial intelligence processors were shipped to China in the three months after Donald Trump tightened chip export controls, exposing the limits of Washington's efforts to restrain Beijing's high-tech ambitions, write the Financial Times' Zijing Wu and Eleanor Olcott. A Financial Times analysis of dozens of sales contracts and company filings and interviews with multiple people with direct knowledge of the deals reveal that Nvidia's B200 has become the most sought-after chip in a rampant Chinese black market for American semiconductors. The processor is widely used by U.S. powerhouses such as OpenAI, Google and Meta to train their latest AI systems, but is banned for sale to China. In May, multiple Chinese distributors started selling B200s to suppliers of data centers that serve Chinese AI groups, according to documents reviewed by the FT. It is legal to receive and sell restricted Nvidia chips in China, as long as relevant border tariffs are paid, according to lawyers familiar with the rules. Entities selling and sending them to China would be violating U.S. regulations, however. Nvidia has long insisted there is "no evidence of any AI chip diversion." There is no evidence that the company is involved in, or has knowledge of, its restricted products being sold to China."Trying to cobble together data centers from smuggled products is a losing proposition, both technically and economically," Nvidia told the FT. "Data centers require service and support, which we provide only to authorised Nvidia products." Battery-powered growth South Korean companies are expanding their footholds in the U.S. battery market, as Washington places Chinese players under increasingly strict regulations, Nikkei Asia's Pak Yiu reports. South Korea's LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI and SK On are all scaling up their local production and strengthening partnerships. Japan's Panasonic is also part of the trend, as it has started producing lithium-ion batteries at a second U.S. plant. In contrast, Chinese companies are being squeezed out of the American market. Automotive Energy Supply Corp. put construction of its EV battery plant in South Carolina on hold last month, citing policy and market uncertainty, while Gotion indefinitely suspended its Michigan facility last year. Dismal display Japan Display, or JDI, an ailing panel manufacturer, will sell the LCD and OLED panel production equipment at its Mobara plant, according to Nikkei's Fumie Yaku. The original plan was to relocate it to another factory and continue production, since the Mobara site, in a Tokyo suburb, was shutting down as part of the company's downsizing. The sale of the equipment means that the Japanese flagship display panel maker will no longer supply panels for the Apple Watch. JDI -- a combination by of panel businesses from Sony, Toshiba and Hitachi -- was a poster child for INCJ, a public-private investment fund established in 2009 to help strategic industries acquire competitiveness. However, the company has been racking up losses for the last 11 years, as it fell behind rivals from South Korea, Taiwan and mainland China. INCJ sold all remaining shares in JDI in March, marking a total loss of over $1 billion in present value. Japan looks to get solar mojo back with thin, light, bendable panels Welcome to the Tech Latest podcast. Hosted by our tech coverage veterans, Katey Creel and Shotaro Tani, every Tuesday we deliver the hottest trends and news from the sector. In this episode, Katey speaks with fellow host Shotaro Tani about how Japan is looking to regain its footing in the solar market with ultrathin and ultralight tech. Find us on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Voicy | YouTube | YouTube Music Suggested reads 1. China lays out its AI vision in foil to Donald Trump's 'America First' plan (FT) 2. China's automakers bring tech edge to Australia's small but brutal market (Nikkei Asia) 3. Changan Auto business carved out from key PLA supplier (Nikkei Asia) 4. Tesla's $16.5bn contract won't be enough to drive a revival at Samsung (FT) 5. Brussels accuses China's Temu of breaking EU digital rules (FT) 6. Indonesia's GoTo and Indosat launch home-grown AI chat tool (Nikkei Asia) 7. Panasonic digital unit CEO Yasuyuki Higuchi to step down (Nikkei Asia) 8. Samsung to supply Tesla with AI chips in $16.5bn deal (FT) 9. China launches probe into Nvidia over H20 'risks' (Nikkei Asia) 10. Narendra Modi's kingmaker aims to build Indian 'Quantum Valley' (FT)
