Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register TOKYO, Aug 21 (Reuters) – Japan is considering deploying 1,000 long-range cruise missiles to boost its counterattack capability against China, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Sunday. The missiles will be existing weapons modified to extend their range from 100 km (62 miles) to 1,000 km, the newspaper said, citing government sources. The weapons, which will be launched from ships or aircraft, will be mainly stationed around the southern Nansei Islands and will be able to reach the coastal areas of North Korea and China, Yomiuri said. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Spokesmen for Japan’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report. Japan, which interprets its postwar constitution to mean it can only use its military for self-defense, has stepped up military spending and adopted a more assertive strategy in recent years. However, it has refrained from developing long-range missiles, among its limits for weapons that can hit targets on foreign soil. Regional tensions escalated this month after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, which is self-ruled but claimed by China. Beijing has fired missiles near Taiwan and Japan’s exclusive economic zone. read more Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reported by Rocky Swift in Tokyo. Edited by William Mallard Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
