Japan plans to develop longer-range missiles to counter China, Russia

Kawasaki Heavy Industries

31/08/2022 05:46

By Tim Kelly
    TOKYO, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Japan will develop and mass
produce a cruise missile and a high-velocity ballistic missile,
it said on Wednesday, as it seeks the ability to strike more
distant targets as part of a military expansion aimed at meeting
threats from China and Russia.
    The procurement plan unveiled in the Ministry of Defence's
annual budget request represents a clear departure from a
decades-long range limit imposed on Japan's constitutionally
constrained Self Defence Forces, that meant they could only
field missiles with ranges of a few hundred kilometres.  
    "China continues to threaten to use force to unilaterally
change the status quo and is deepening its alliance with
Russia," the ministry said in its budget request. 
    "It is also applying pressure around Taiwan with supposed
military exercises and has not renounced the use of military
force as a way to unite Taiwan with the rest of China," it said.
    Alarm about China's regional ambitions grew this month after
it fired five ballistic missiles into waters less than 160 km
(100 miles) from Japan in a show of force after U.S. House of
Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visited Taiwan.
    The ministry also mentioned North Korea as a threat to
Japan.
    The budget request is for funding to mass produce
ground-launched cruise missiles, an extended range version of
the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries  7011.T  designed Type 12
missile already in use, to strike ships, and a new,
high-velocity glide ballistic missiles capable of hitting ground
targets. 
    The ministry is also seeking money to develop other
projectiles, including hypersonic warheads. 
    The ministry did not give a range for the proposed weapons,
or say how many it planned to field, but they would likely be
able to reach targets in mainland China if deployed along
Japan's nearby southwest Okinawa island chain. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N2WP2IM
    Japan has already ordered air-launched missiles, including
the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) made by Norway's Kongsberg
 KOG.OL , and Lockheed Martin Corp's  LMT.N  Joint
Air-to-Surface Stand-Off Missile (JASSM) with a range of up to
1,000 km (620 miles). 
    Unlike with ship or ground-based launchers, however, the
number it can fire is limited by how many planes it can put in
the air to fire them.
    The ministry asked for a 3.6% increase in spending to 5.6
trillion yen ($39.78 billion) for the year starting on April 1,
but said the figure would rise after it calculated the cost of
new procurement programmes. 
    Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government will approve that 
increased request at the end of the year when it will also
unveil a major defence strategy overhaul and new midterm
military buildup plan.
    Kishida, who has described security in East Asia as
"fragile" after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has promised to
"substantially" increase defence outlays to prepare Japan for
regional conflict. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2ZH0KW
    His ruling Liberal Democratic Party in its upper house
election manifesto in July promised to double defence spending
to 2% of gross domestic product over five years.
    That would make Japan the world's third biggest military
spender behind major ally the United States, and neighbouring
China.
    In addition to increasing stockpile of missiles and other
munitions, Japan's military wants to develop its cyber defences,
electromagnetic warfare capabilities and space presence. 

 (Reporting by Tim Kelly; Editing by Robert Birsel)
 ((tim.kelly@thomsonreuters.com; +813-6441-1311;))