Japan's Defense Ministry has confirmed it will move forward with plans to bolster air defenses on a remote island near China-claimed Taiwan, giving 2031 as the target deployment date. The announcement is a sign that hard-liner Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, flush from elections this month that gave her a historic supermajority in the lower house, intends to press ahead, despite Beijing's warnings. Newsweek has contacted Japan's Defense Ministry and China's Foreign Ministry for comment by email.