(Tokyo) Concerned about the aggressive nature of China towards small Japanese Islands which Beijing has started to drool over. The Japanese in 2015 stated it was going to deploy a Ground Self-Defence Force security unit (Around 500 men) armed with defensive weaponry to the Isle of Miyako-jima which is situated approximately halfway between Okinawa and Taiwan.
The Japanese have decided to send the Type 12 Anti-ship missile to the Island in which to cover the immediate area. Similar to the American Harpoon the Type 12 packs nearly 500lbs of high explosives and the missile has a range just shy of 100 miles. It is also a ‘networked’ weapon, where initial and mid-course targeting can be provided by third-party platforms such as maritime patrol aircraft, ships and helicopters. Meaning that the Japanese can fire from safety and guide their weapons to target. Resulting in a most credible area denial weapon against the Chinese navy, who didn't take that news well. Now, the Japanese have now decided to deploy the Type 12 to the main island of Okinawa around 230 miles north of Miyako-jima in which to bolster their defence there and something tells me the Chinese won't like that either.
