Japan agrees on billion dollar missile shield
ISN SECURITY WATCH (16/12/05) - In its plan to introduce a missile defense system, Japan has agreed to spend US$1 billion to jointly develop the next-generation interceptor missile with the US.
The development of the upgraded version of the US Standard Missile-3 will cost around US$3 billion over the next nine years, beginning in 2006. Of that amount, US$1 billion to US$1.2 billion will be contributed by Japan, the Japanese Yomiuri Shimbun Daily reported on Thursday.
In the joint missile project, Japan will work on the development of the nose cone and a two-stage starter motor, while the US will make a kinetic warhead and a device that detects infrared rays to identify and track targets.
The next-generation interceptor missile would be based on the US Standard Missile-3 and will be carried on Aegis-equipped destroyers.
However, a Japanese Defense Ministry source told ISN Security Watch that discussions were still ongoing and details, including those about funding, were still being hashed out and would be finalized before a 24 December cabinet meeting.
The Tokyo administration has been skeptical, fearing an unexpected rise in the budget during the course of the project. In 1998, the joint US-Japanese development of the F-2 fighter saw project costs double in comparison to the planned allocation.
For the first time, both governments will adopt a “spiral development” strategy in which new technology is introduced and testing during the course of development.
With a development deadline of 2014, both the Japanese and US governments plan to begin production next year.
In January this year, Tokyo decided it woudl use its missile defense system solely to intercept ballistic missiles targeting Japan, and pledged not to act if it detected a missile intended for its allies passing over Japan. Japanese officials said acting in such a case would be construed as collective self-defense, which goes against Japan’s pacifist constitution.
Since 1999, both Japan and the US have been conducting joint research into missile defense against preemptive attacks by North Korea.
Although Japanese officials have indicated that the establishment of a missile defense system was purely defensive, experts believe that the fear of a hostile North Korea in the region pushed Japan to the brink of a new arms race. Last year, Tokyo eased a ban on arms exports to open the way for the joint development of a “missile shield”.
Mikyoung Kim of the Hiroshima Peace Institute told ISN Security Watch that Japan was basically “paranoid about missiles threats from Pyongyang”.
“The nation [Japan] got a big wake-up call with the launch of Taepodong missile in 1998 by North Korea, after which missile defense occupied a special place in the mind of policy-makers […] and public opinion supports it.
Joseph Cirincione, the director of nonproliferation at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC, criticized the US-Japanese joint venture, saying “Japan is wasting its money”.
“There is no such thing as a missile shield and it is the slogan of a salesman,” Cirincione told ISN Security Watch.
Speaking of US defense capabilities, Cirincione said: “The United States has spent over US$50 billion [since President George Bush took office] trying to develop an effective anti-missile system. None of the attempts have worked. The current systems have performed so poorly that they have cut back on tests in order to avoid further public embarrassment.”
“Japan may spend US$1 billion on the project, but it is highly unlikely that this will provide Japan with any significant protection against ballistic missiles with a range longer than 300 km,” he said.
Nkorea’s Taepodong-I missiles that flew over Japan into the Pacific in 1998 have a range of 1,500-2,000 km with payload of 1,000 kilograms.
Meanwhile, countries including China and Russia have expressed concern over Tokyo’s plan to introduce a missile defense system, saying it could undermine the region's military balance and trigger a new arms race, as Japan uses the missile shield to keep military capabilities in check.
North Korea has criticized the US-Japanese joint venture as a “provocation”.
(By Animesh Roul in New Delhi)
The development of the upgraded version of the US Standard Missile-3 will cost around US$3 billion over the next nine years, beginning in 2006. Of that amount, US$1 billion to US$1.2 billion will be contributed by Japan, the Japanese Yomiuri Shimbun Daily reported on Thursday.
In the joint missile project, Japan will work on the development of the nose cone and a two-stage starter motor, while the US will make a kinetic warhead and a device that detects infrared rays to identify and track targets.
The next-generation interceptor missile would be based on the US Standard Missile-3 and will be carried on Aegis-equipped destroyers.
However, a Japanese Defense Ministry source told ISN Security Watch that discussions were still ongoing and details, including those about funding, were still being hashed out and would be finalized before a 24 December cabinet meeting.
The Tokyo administration has been skeptical, fearing an unexpected rise in the budget during the course of the project. In 1998, the joint US-Japanese development of the F-2 fighter saw project costs double in comparison to the planned allocation.
For the first time, both governments will adopt a “spiral development” strategy in which new technology is introduced and testing during the course of development.
With a development deadline of 2014, both the Japanese and US governments plan to begin production next year.
In January this year, Tokyo decided it woudl use its missile defense system solely to intercept ballistic missiles targeting Japan, and pledged not to act if it detected a missile intended for its allies passing over Japan. Japanese officials said acting in such a case would be construed as collective self-defense, which goes against Japan’s pacifist constitution.
Since 1999, both Japan and the US have been conducting joint research into missile defense against preemptive attacks by North Korea.
Although Japanese officials have indicated that the establishment of a missile defense system was purely defensive, experts believe that the fear of a hostile North Korea in the region pushed Japan to the brink of a new arms race. Last year, Tokyo eased a ban on arms exports to open the way for the joint development of a “missile shield”.
Mikyoung Kim of the Hiroshima Peace Institute told ISN Security Watch that Japan was basically “paranoid about missiles threats from Pyongyang”.
“The nation [Japan] got a big wake-up call with the launch of Taepodong missile in 1998 by North Korea, after which missile defense occupied a special place in the mind of policy-makers […] and public opinion supports it.
Joseph Cirincione, the director of nonproliferation at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC, criticized the US-Japanese joint venture, saying “Japan is wasting its money”.
“There is no such thing as a missile shield and it is the slogan of a salesman,” Cirincione told ISN Security Watch.
Speaking of US defense capabilities, Cirincione said: “The United States has spent over US$50 billion [since President George Bush took office] trying to develop an effective anti-missile system. None of the attempts have worked. The current systems have performed so poorly that they have cut back on tests in order to avoid further public embarrassment.”
“Japan may spend US$1 billion on the project, but it is highly unlikely that this will provide Japan with any significant protection against ballistic missiles with a range longer than 300 km,” he said.
Nkorea’s Taepodong-I missiles that flew over Japan into the Pacific in 1998 have a range of 1,500-2,000 km with payload of 1,000 kilograms.
Meanwhile, countries including China and Russia have expressed concern over Tokyo’s plan to introduce a missile defense system, saying it could undermine the region's military balance and trigger a new arms race, as Japan uses the missile shield to keep military capabilities in check.
North Korea has criticized the US-Japanese joint venture as a “provocation”.
(By Animesh Roul in New Delhi)
posted by Marko at 12/16/2005 05:44:00 AM
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