SamuraiBlue
Captain
This is the first time I have heard of this;
Deterring China: Japan to Develop New Anti-Ship Missile for Defense of Senkakus
Tokyo intends to deploy a new anti-ship missile to deter Chinese advances in the East China Sea.
The Japanese government is developing a new land-to-sea missile to reinforce the defenses of remote Japanese-controlled islets in the East China Sea known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China, the Yomiuri Shimbun on August 14. The Japan-administered Senkaku Islands are also claimed by both China and Taiwan.
Japan has not revealed many details about the new weapon system except that it will have an approximate range of 300 kilometers (186 miles), use solid fuel, and is slated to be deployed by 2023. Funding for the new missile will be included in the fiscal year 2017 defense budget request and it will solely be developed and produced in Japan.
“The new missile will be mounted on a vehicle, making it easy to transport and change positions. It will have a guidance system using the global positioning system (GPS) or other means, and be capable of striking targets, such as other countries’ warships deployed around remote islands, from nearby islands,” the Yomiuri Shimbun reveals.
The new missile will supplement the Type 12 subsonic anti-ship missile, an upgraded variant of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Type 88 surface-to-ship missile with a reported range of 200 kilometers (124 miles), currently in service with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF). The Type 12 missile is carries by a transporter erector launcher, each carrying six missiles.
According to Yomiuri Shimbun, the new missile system could also be used for reoccupying islands:
The new surface-to-ship missile would also be effective if a remote island is occupied. When GSDF units conduct landing operations, they currently focus on naval gunfire from destroyers with a short firing range or dropping bombs from fighter jets. That involves a high risk of being counterattacked. The new missile would make it possible to assist the GSDF landing units from nearby islands..... to read more
