Tokyo - (AFP) - Japan is considering deploying more than 1,000 long-range cruise missiles to boost its ability to counter China's growing regional threats , local newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reported Sunday.

Tokyo plans to develop anti-ship missiles to increase its range from 100 kilometers to about 1,000 kilometers, which would be enough to reach coastal areas of China and North Korea, according to the newspaper, citing unnamed sources.

It will also have to carry out modernization operations to enable the ships and aircraft currently owned by Japan to launch new missiles that can hit targets on land, according to the newspaper.

The "Yomiuri" that the missiles will be deployed in the Kyushu region and its environs and on the islands located in southwestern Japan near Taiwan.

AFP was not immediately able to obtain comment from Japanese officials.

The plan is part of Japan's attempt to reduce the missile capabilities gap with China and deal at the same time with North Korean threats, according to the newspaper.

It is noteworthy that the constitution of Japan after World War II does not officially recognize the army, while defense spending is limited to financing defense capabilities.

Recent geopolitical tension, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's more hostile stance toward Taiwan, has led to calls within Japan to reconsider its defense programmes.

And Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged to dramatically increase defense spending, knowing that it remained at about one percent of gross domestic product.

Local media reported that the Japanese Ministry of Defense will most likely request 5.5 trillion yen ($40.2 billion) for the next fiscal year, compared to the 5.18 trillion yen it asked for in the current fiscal year.

But it is expected that the ministry will also demand approval of a list of equipment whose price has not been specified, including the cost of developing long-range cruise missiles, according to the Asahai Shimbun newspaper.