Japan deploys Patriot missile near Taiwan

Japan has deployed Patriot (PAC-3) missiles on Miyako Island, a strategically important node on the "first island chain" close to Taiwan.

Japan's Air Self-Defense Force has deployed PAC-3 ground-to-air guided missiles at its Miyako Island base in Miyakojima, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said, China-based the Global Times reports.

Matsuno said that PAC-3 missiles are also deployed by Japan's Ground Self-Defence Force on Ishigaki and Yonaguni islands. According to the official, the deployed missiles are for national security purposes and will target possible long-range ballistic missiles from North Korea.

The islands of Miyako, Yonaguni and Ishigaki in Okinawa in the southwest of the country are known as the country's closest region to the Taiwan Strait.