Japan considers acquiring 1,000 long-range missiles because of tensions in the region, according to the media.

Japan is considering acquiring an arsenal of more than 1,000 long-range missiles to “fill the gap with China”, the Japanese newspaper ‘Yomiuri’ has learned.

Several Japanese government officials reportedly confirmed this information to the Japanese newspaper, who explained that this decision is framed as a reaction to the increased tensions in the region following China’s military exercises around Taiwan after the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, visited the island in early August.

In this regard, the projectiles, which have a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers, would be deployed from the Nansei Islands — Japan’s southernmost archipelago — to Kyushu — the country’s third largest major island to the south — with the aim of closing the “missile gap” with China, which deploys a large number of ballistic missiles.

Tokyo also plans to expand the capability of its surface-to-ship missile to reach objects more than 1,000 kilometers away, with the aim of reaching the coastal areas of North Korea and China.

According to the newspaper, the authorities will review the National Security Strategy at the end of the year, at which time the Executive is expected to announce these new “counterattack” measures to attack “enemy missile launch bases for self-defense.”

The Ministry of Defense, in order to carry out this policy,” plans to create a capital investment system for related companies, in addition to including expenditures in the 2023 fiscal budget.