Japan nears plan for ammo storage network closer to Taiwan

Exclusive: Defense officials seek to spread out firepower with dozens of new depots

20230106N SDF SSM

Japan will deploy updated Type 12 surface-to-ship cruise missiles in fiscal 2026. (Photo courtesy of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force)

RYO NEMOTO, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO -- Japanese defense officials are weighing a plan to build dozens of ammunition and weapons depots on far-flung southwestern islands in preparation for a potential Taiwan crisis, Nikkei has learned.

Japan has about 1,400 ammunition storage facilities nationwide, but 70% are located in the country's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, more than 2,000 km away from Japanese islands in the East China Sea.

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