The government has decided on a plan to develop land-to-sea missiles with a range of 300 km (186 miles) to protect Japan's isolated islands, including the Senkakus, a local media report said Sunday, without citing sources.
Costs for development will be part of the Defense Ministry's budget request for the fiscal year ending March 2018, according to the daily Yomiuri Shimbun. The government will aim for deployment around the year ending March 2024, it said.
Beijing has been stepping up pressure on Tokyo over the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands, which are claimed as Diaoyu by China and Tiaoyutai by Taiwan.