Japan not deploying missile system
Print Edition
Japan鈥檚 Defense Ministry announced yesterday it has decided to cancel unpopular plans to deploy two costly land-based American missile-defense systems.
Defense Minister Taro Kono told reporters he decided to 鈥渟top the deployment process鈥 of the Aegis Ashore systems after it was found the safety of one of the two planned host communities could not be ensured without a hardware redesign that would be too time consuming and costly.
鈥淐onsidering the cost and time it would require, I had no choice but judge that pursuing the plan is not logical,鈥 Kono said.
In 2017, the Japanese government approved adding the two missile defense systems to bolster the country鈥檚 current defenses consisting of Aegis-equipped destroyers at sea and Patriot missiles on land.
Defense officials have said the two Aegis Ashore units could cover Japan entirely from one station at Yamaguchi in the south and another at Akita in the north. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe鈥檚 government will now have to reconsider Japan鈥檚 missile defense program.
Multiple setbacks
The plan to deploy the two missile-defense systems had already faced a series of setbacks, including questions about the selection of one of the sites, repeated cost estimate hikes that climbed to 450 billion yen (US$4.1 billion) for their 30-year operation and maintenance, and safety concerns that led to local opposition.
Critics have also said the systems were to intercept long-range DPRK missiles from hitting Guam or Hawaii rather than for Japan鈥檚 self-defense, possibly interfering with the country鈥檚 war-renouncing constitution.
Kono said Japan had already spent 180 billion yen (US$1.7 billion) for the systems but that not everything will go to waste because the system is compatible with those used on Japanese destroyers.
It was ultimately the inability to guarantee the safety of the community in Yamaguchi that was the deal breaker.
Defense officials had promised that any boosters used to intercept a missile flying over Japan would fall only on a military base there.
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