Tokyo, March 16 -- Japan is eyeing the deployment of long-range missiles on the island of Kyushu to the southwest of the country in order to enhance its' defense capabilities, the Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday, citing government sources.

The deployment, scheduled for March 2026, is intended to strengthen the security of Japan's southwestern Nansei island chain, which is strategically important due to its proximity to Taiwan, whose growing tensions with China are worrisome, the Kyodo news said.

Tokyo is considering placing the missiles at the Japanese Ground-Self Defense Force's surface-to-ship missile regiment garrisons in the cities of Yufu or Kumamoto in Oita Prefecture, the news agency said. However, the authorities may reported...