AFP, Tokyo

Japan has deployed long-range missiles in a southwest region near China, its defence minister said yesterday, at a time when ties with Beijing are at their lowest in recent years.

The missiles were installed in Kumamoto in the southern region of Kyushu, as Japan is attempting to shore up its military capacity as China steps up naval activity in the East China Sea.

“Standoff defense capabilities enable us to counter the threat of enemy forces attempting to invade our country... while ensuring the safety of our personnel,” said Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi.

“This is an extremely important initiative for strengthening Japan’s deterrence and response capabilities,” he added. The surface-to-ship guided missile system has a range of around 1,000 kilometres (620 miles), putting parts of the Chinese mainland within reach -- Shanghai lies about 900 kilometres from Kumamoto.

Koizumi also said a “hyper velocity gliding projectile”, designed to defend remote islands from enemy forces, had been deployed in Shizuoka, another coastal area closer to Tokyo which faces the Pacific.

Japan has long had a policy to use its military only for self defence in its most strict meaning.