New Delhi: In the middle of a rising Chinese threat to Taiwan, Japan, S Korea, and other countries, the Tokyo government has decided to upgrade its missile for long range. Japan is considering the deployment of more than 1,000 long-range cruise missiles to increase its ability to counter growing regional threats from China.
Recent geopolitical tensions, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s increasingly aggressive stance over Taiwan, have prompted growing calls in Japan to review defense programs.
The Japan-based local newspaper reported, The country plans to upgrade its existing surface-to-ship missiles to extend their range from 100 kilometers (62 miles) to about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), which would be enough to reach Chinese coastal areas as well as North Korea.
Upgrades would also need to be made to allow Japan’s existing ships and aircraft to be able to fire the new missiles, which could hit land-based targets. The missiles would be deployed in and around the southwestern Kyushu region and on the small islands that dot Japan’s southwestern waters near Taiwan, the newspaper reported.
According to local defense experts from Japan, The plan is part of Japan’s attempt to narrow the missile capacity gap with China, while also addressing threats from North Korea.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has vowed to significantly boost defense spending, which has been kept close to around one percent of GDP. Japan’s defense ministry is likely to request 5.5 trillion yen ($40.2 billion) for the next fiscal year, up slightly from the 5.18 trillion requested for the current fiscal year.
(Vinayak)