The United States believes that the option of strengthening the Japanese missile defense (ABM) by building special ships to counter exclusively ballistic missiles will be expensive and irrational. This was announced on Wednesday, September 23, by NHK TV channel, citing sources in the Japanese government.
Previously, Tokyo abandoned the use of ground-based Aegis Ashore systems, but is considering the possibility of re-equipping the systems for installation on ships. In Washington, they believe that this can lead to large budget spending, since in this case it is necessary to carry out expensive technical changes to these complexes so that they remain effective at sea.
Ships equipped with Aegis missiles with SM-3 interceptor missiles must shoot down a ballistic missile in the middle of the trajectory. If this fails, the second level of missile defense will be activated using the Patriot PAC-3 systems, capable of intercepting the missile at the final stage of its flight.
The main argument for Japan’s refusal of two American ground complexes was the data that when missiles are launched from existing installations, it is impossible to guarantee the fall of their boosters strictly within the military base or at sea, which endangers the safety of the population. In return, the country’s authorities should work out a new strategy for strengthening missile defense this fall.
The priority is a plan to build specialized ships to counter ballistic missile strikes. According to the Japanese government, this option will be cheaper than increasing the number of ships with Aegis systems, which are more technologically advanced and have the ability to prevent attacks from a combat aircraft or submarine.
The new ships can use equipment worth about 180 billion yen ($ 1.69 billion), which the American side must supply under the already concluded contract for Aegis Ashore. In particular, we are talking about the SPY-7 radar manufactured by Lockheed Martin.
On September 16, the government of the new Prime Minister of the country, Yoshihide Suga, was formed in Japan. Most of Shinzo Abe’s cabinet ministers have retained their posts. Earlier that day, Yoshihide Suga became the country’s new prime minister following a vote in the House of Representatives, with 314 out of 465 deputies voting for him.