Reference News Network, July 30 report: According to Japan's Asahi Shimbun, on July 29, the Japanese Ministry of Defense has started coordinating work regarding the deployment location of domestically produced long-range missiles with attack capabilities against enemy bases (i.e., "stand-off missiles"), planning to first deploy them at the Takashima base of the Ground Self-Defense Force in Kumamoto City, Kyushu, and striving to complete the deployment within this fiscal year. Multiple government officials have confirmed this information.
As a stand-off missile capable of attacking ships or bases outside the enemy's range, the Japanese government plans to deploy the domestically improved Type 12 surface-to-ship missile, whose range has been extended to approximately 1,000 kilometers.
According to Japanese government sources, the Ministry of Defense plans to deploy this type of missile at the Yufuin base in Oita Prefecture starting from the next fiscal year, and is currently considering the possibility of deploying it at the Katchinbetsu sub-base in Okinawa Prefecture in the future.
Japan began mass production of the improved Type 12 surface-to-ship missile from the 2023 fiscal year, and conducted its first test launch last year in Shinjima, Tokyo.
The Japanese government released three new security documents, including the new National Security Strategy, in 2022, explicitly stating the policy of possessing "stand-off missiles." However, there are still debates surrounding its deployment: on one hand, the deployment site may become a target for enemy attacks; on the other hand, some voices point out that this move violates the principle of "exclusive defense" stipulated in the Japanese Constitution. (Translated by Ma Xiaoyun)
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