TOKYO (Sputnik) — The US network Fox News published satellite images on Tuesday which allegedly showed two batteries of eight surface-to-air missile systems stationed on the China-controlled island of the disputed Paracel archipelago.
"We are deeply concerned about [China’s] unilateral actions that change the status quo," Yoshihide Suga told reporters, adding that Tokyo does not consider this move to be legitimate.
China, Taiwan and Vietnam all lay claim to the largest island in the Paracel group of islands that has strategic significance. Other countries in the region – Japan, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia – also have territorial disputes in the South and East China seas.