U.S. to put missile system on island near Taiwan for drills

The U.S. military is planning to deploy an advanced anti-ship missile system to a Japanese island close to Taiwan for the first time during a major training exercise later this month, a move that may draw China’s ire.

The Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System is slated to be moved to the island of Yonaguni during the bilateral exercise known as Keen Sword, according to a person familiar with the matter. An outline of the exercise plans, published on the island’s website Friday, shows the Japanese military may deploy its own anti-ship missile and surface-to-air missile systems for the drills.

Yonaguni is just 110 kilometers east of Taiwan, the closest point in Japan to the democratically governed island that is also claimed by China. The potential deployment of the missile systems and other hardware such as electronic warfare vehicles to Yonaguni for training would represent a step up from previous military exercises on the island.

Last year, the U.S. military held a training exercise to bring supplies to Yonaguni to simulate the creation of a forward-operating base that might be needed in any regional crisis. The striking range of the NMESIS system is around 115 miles, which means it could reach ships around Taiwan.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said last year that Japan’s plans to permanently station surface-to-air missiles on Yonaguni from 2030 would “create regional tension and provoke military confrontation.” Meanwhile, Chinese state media criticized a move last year by the U.S. to send the NMESIS system to the Philippines for exercises.

Keen Sword takes place once every two years and is one of the largest joint military exercises by the U.S. with Japan. It will take place from Oct. 19 to 29 this year across Japan’s southern island chain as both nations work on making training more realistic for a possible crisis, such as an attempt by China to seize Taiwan.

U.S. military hardware in the Asia-Pacific region has been depleted by deployments to the Middle East for the war against Iran, including the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, which is usually based in Japan.

Still, after a recent summit meeting in New York with President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi played up the strength of the alliance between the two countries.

At the same time, Takaichi has come under pressure from China to retract remarks she made last year that suggested Japan might mobilize its military in any collective effort to defend Taiwan from an invasion.