The
ground troops will be deployed on Yonaguni island, Japan's
westernmost point, to carry out coastal patrols and surveillance
of Chinese naval vessels, Jiji news agency quoted defense
officials as saying.
Tokyo
eventually plans to double the number of troops stationed
on Yonaguni, which is roughly 60 miles east of Taiwan,
the report said.
Defence
Minister Toshimi Kitazawa Thursday stressed the importance
of boosting defence in island areas, including Yonaguni,
to a security committee meeting at the House of Representatives,
Jiji reported.
Increased
Chinese naval activity has sparked a defence rethink in
which Japan has mulled sending more forces to its scattered
southern islands and away from Cold War-era bases in the
north near Russia.
