EXCLUSIVE: As North Korea expands arsenal, Japan's missile defense shield faces unforeseen costs - sources by kellyJapan
The Japanese defense minister at the time, Itsunori Onodera, did not know Japan would also have to pay for missile launches to test the Lockheed radar, the sources said. One of the defense sources said the Japanese government had thought computer-simulated tests would be sufficient.An official at Onodera’s parliamentary office declined a request to interview the senior ruling party lawmaker about the issue. It is unclear whether other Japanese officials knew about the tests.
“It may be an opportunity for Japan to rethink Aegis Ashore in favor of integrated air missile defense,” said one of the sources, who is familiar with Japan’s military planning. Lockheed Martin referred requests to comment on new North Korean missiles to Japan’s Ministry of Defense and the Missile Defense Agency.
“There are a series of costs that have yet to be budgeted for, such as construction, and we still have to pay for the missiles. There has not been an adequate explanation from the government,” said Honda, who has requested more details from the defense ministry on Aegis Ashore costs. Both Lockheed Martin’s Solid-State Radar and Raytheon’s SPY-6, which the U.S. Navy is putting in its latest Aegis-equipped ships, promise a major boost to Aegis’s ability to detect and hit incoming targets.
Japan would have to pay for a temporary Aegis Ashore site there as well as interceptors, including the pricey Block IIA, which would be destroyed in any test.
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