Japan mulls beefing up missile defence after Russian deployment on disputed island

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday that Russia’s deployment of missile systems on islands in the western Pacific isles that are also claimed by Tokyo was “regrettable”.

At the same time, the Japanese Defence Ministry said it plans to set up a panel to discuss ways to reinforce its ballistic missile defence system, a government source said, due to a missile threat from North Korea.

Headed by senior vice defence minister Kenji Wakamiya, the panel is expected to discuss issues including whether to install an advanced US missile defence shield known as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence, or THAAD. The panel will conclude its discussions by summer, the source said.

Defence Minister Tomomi Inada told reporters the same day that the ministry has “no concrete plans to introduce THAAD”, but added, “The introduction of new equipment will lead to the reinforcement of our country’s capabilities.”

Under Japan’s multi-tier ballistic missile defence, the Maritime Self-Defence Force’s Aegis destroyers equipped with Standard Missile-3 interceptors are to intercept missiles in the outer atmosphere. If they fail, the Air Self-Defence Force’s Patriot Advanced Capability-3 surface-to-air guided interceptors will be ready to shoot down the missiles.

The THAAD is designed to intercept ballistic missiles flying at high altitudes in and outside the atmosphere, providing a longer-range defence than the PAC-3. But the system is very expensive to deploy.