Ceremony marks launch of land-to-ship missile unit on Okinawa island

A ceremony marking the launch of the Japanese ground force's first surface-to-ship missile unit on the main island of Okinawa took place Saturday, as Japan beefs up its defenses amid China's maritime assertiveness.Speaking at the Ground Self-Defense Force's Katsuren camp, senior vice defense minister Makoto Oniki underscored the "extremely important" location of the Okinawa main island for national security, which sits roughly halfway in a chain of Japanese islands extending 1,200 kilometers from the southernmost main island of Kyushu toward Taiwan.The ceremony followed the establishment of…READ FULL ARTICLE