Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says Japan has "crossed a red line” with comments by the country's new leader suggesting a potential military intervention over Taiwan

Japan plans to deploy medium-range surface-to-air missiles on Yonaguni – making it a frontline of defence in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan – as part of its broader military build-up across the southern island chain.

Tokyo’s efforts to boost its naval power could ‘definitely complicate’ the strategic picture, military analysts have said.

The remarks come amid the two countries’ worst diplomatic crisis in years, after the Japanese prime minister said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

Rattled by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s stance on Taiwan, Chinese state media have called for nuclear bombs to be dropped on Japan that would render the nation deindustrialised and demilitarised for decades.

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This week, Japan’s military was deployed to the northern prefecture of Akita to help contain a surge of bear attacks that have tormented residents in the mountainous region.