Original title: With a huge investment of 250 billion yuan, Japan plans to develop more than 10 kinds of long-range missiles at the same time
(Observer Network News)
According to the “Yomiuri Shimbun” report on December 1, the newspaper has been informed of the summary of the Japanese Ministry of Defense’s long-range missile development plan that is in the discussion stage in order to obtain “counterattack capabilities”. Yen (approximately RMB 258.4 billion) related budget plans to develop more than 10 types of long-range missiles simultaneously in the next few years.
According to reports, the Ministry of Defense aims to equip hypersonic missiles flying at five times the speed of sound after fiscal 2028 and high-speed glide missiles for island defense after fiscal 2030.
The Japanese government has recently been hoping to equip long-range missiles to obtain the so-called “counterattack capability” of “strike enemy missile launch bases for the purpose of self-defense”. Fumio Kishida’s cabinet is expected to clearly stipulate this when it approves the “National Security Strategy” in December.
According to the outline of the plan announced by the Ministry of Defense, more than 10 different long-range missiles will be developed by combining different launch platforms by land, sea, and air with different flight modes such as hypersonic speed and high-speed glide. To this end, the Ministry of Defense has proposed to the Ministry of Finance to compile a related budget of 5 trillion yen (about 258.4 billion yuan).
According to reports, Japan’s existing air defense network is difficult to intercept hypersonic missiles. If this kind of missile is introduced into the Self-Defense Forces, it can also have the effect of deterring other countries from launching attacks on Japan. The Ministry of Defense currently expects to bring forward the deployment date of the land-based missiles from the initial 2030s to after fiscal year 2028.
The long-range missile in the high-speed gliding flight mode is launched from the ground, and then the warhead separates and glides at supersonic speed like a glider, and finally destroys the target enemy. The prototype bomb will be deployed in fiscal year 2027, and it is planned to be officially equipped after fiscal year 2030. The Defense Ministry has also floated plans to develop a submarine-launched version.
The “Yomiuri Shimbun” stated that Japan also plans to improve the Type 12 shore-to-ship missiles currently in service in Luzi as the backbone of its “counterattack capability”. The missile has been improved to gain a longer range and has different types launched from the ground, ships and aircraft. The ground-launched version is expected to be deployed after fiscal 2026.
In addition, Japan will also study various types of anti-ship missiles.
The Japanese government also plans to purchase US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles. This plan is out of emergency considerations, mainly to ensure that Japan can obtain “counterattack capability” as soon as possible before domestic missiles are fully put into use.
According to the “Yomiuri Shimbun” report on November 30, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had previously made a purchase request to US President Biden during the bilateral summit meeting on the 13th, and the two sides confirmed that they would advance purchase negotiations. The Ministry of Defense is considering plans to purchase up to 500 Tomahawk missiles by fiscal year 2027. The news was confirmed by multiple government sources in Japan and the United States.