Japan to install Aegis missile defence systems on land amid North Korea crisis

The Japanese Defence Ministry plans to introduce a land-based Aegis missile defence system to address North Korea’s missile threats, having decided to seek funding in the next financial year to cover the system design costs, a government source said on Wednesday.

The ministry was planning to make a budgetary request to conduct “studies” over the installation of the Aegis Ashore system, but has decided to move up the schedule amid continuing test-firing of ballistic missiles by Pyongyang, according to the source.

The ministry also plans to secure a budget to create a new “space unit” inside the self-defence Forces that will be tasked with protecting satellites that are used by Japan and the United States for among other purposes to detect ballistic missile launches.

Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera is expected to explain the plans to the US government during his current visit to Washington with Foreign Minister Taro Kono for talks with their US counterparts on Thursday.

In the budgetary request to be submitted by the end of August, the ministry will leave open the actual sum it is expecting for designing the Aegis Ashore programme because of the need for consultations with the United States, the source said.