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By Ryan Chan
China News Reporter
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China has "significantly increased" the number of missiles capable of striking Japan, a key American ally in Northeast Asia, a Japanese think tank warned, citing satellite imagery.
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese and Japanese Defense Ministries via email for comment.
Why It Matters
Japan, which has hosted United States forces, is part of a blockade known as the first island chain in the Western Pacific Ocean. Washington's defense concept seeks to leverage allied and friendly territories to constrain military activities by U.S. adversaries.
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According to the Pentagon's assessment report, the Chinese military is said to have 300 launchers and 1,300 missiles for its medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) force.
These missiles cover the first island chain and have a range of 1,000 to 3,000 kilometers (621 to 1,864 miles).
What To Know
On Monday, the Japan Institute for National Fundamentals said China can use three types of conventional armed missiles, the DF-17 MRBM and the CJ-10 and CJ-100 ground-launched cruise missiles, to attack Japan's mainland, which is composed of four islands.
New garrisons have been constructed at the Chinese 655th Brigade in the northeastern Jilin province since October 2020, operating the DF-17 MRBM, according to the think tank. This missile has a hypersonic glide vehicle that travels over five times the speed of sound.
The DF-17 MRBM has an estimated range between 1,800 and 2,500 kilometers (1,118 and 1,553 miles). The Pentagon assessed that the CJ-10 and CJ-100 ground-launched cruise missiles can strike targets around 1,500 to 2,000 kilometers (932 to 1,242 miles) away.
The Chinese 656th Brigade in eastern Shandong province has been operated with the CJ-100 ground-launched cruise missile since 2019, the think tank added. Satellite imagery suggested further facilities might be built as the land assigned to the unit is being leveled.
Maki Nakagawa, a researcher at the think tank and a former commander of the Basic Intelligence Unit of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, said China has acquired the capability to penetrate Japan's ballistic missile defense system by deploying these missiles.
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Meanwhile, the Chinese 611th Brigade in the eastern Anhui province has been upgraded to operate the DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) since as early as October 2024. This missile has a range of around 3,000 to 4,000 kilometers (1,864 to 2,485 miles).
The DF-26 IRBM can "rapidly swap" conventional and nuclear warheads and is capable of conducting precision attacks on ships and land targets, the Pentagon's report read, making it difficult for Japan to determine whether the warheads are nuclear or conventional.
What People Are Saying
The Pentagon's report on Chinese military power: "The PLARF (People's Liberation Army Rocket Force)'s growing arsenals of advanced and longer-range conventional missile systems improves its readiness for long-range precision strikes on U.S. and allied forces and bases throughout much of the Indo-Pacific."
Maki Nakagawa, a researcher at the Japan Institute for National Fundamentals, said in a report on Monday: "Chinese missile units capable of attacking mainland Japan have been increased both qualitatively and quantitatively, raising their threat level. Furthermore, as it has become difficult to determine which units will launch missiles against Japan, Japan needs to monitor trends in their movement extensively and continuously to assess Chinese threats."
What Happens Next
Japan will likely enhance its defense against China's long-range missile threats with its American ally. This comes after a Hudson Institute report warned that U.S. military airfields in the Western Pacific Ocean are facing the threat of severe Chinese attacks.
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