Japan plans next-generation ASM
According to the Yomiyuri Shimbun newspaper, the Japanese government plans to develop a new anti-ship missile (ASM) to help defend its southeast islands in the East China Sea against Chinese encroachment.
The new ASM will be deployed in the Sakishima chain, which includes Miyako Island. Maximum range of the new missile will reach 300km, sufficient to cover the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, which are the centre of a heated dispute between Japan and China.
The Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF) is currently equipped with two kinds of truck-mounted ASMs: the Type 88 (SSM-1) with a maximum range of 180km (pictured above) and
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