Japan considers deployment of hypersonic missiles by 2030 to counter security threats: Report
North Korea missile over Japan
Japan may deploy hypersonic missiles by 2030, in an attempt to strengthen its counterstrike capabilities to deter security threats, Nikkei Asia reported on Thursday. The development comes in the wake of growing North Korean aggression in the Korean peninsula and Chinese assertions in the South China sea.
Hypersonic missiles fly at five times the speed of sound, making them difficult to be shot down by an adversary. Japan reportedly believes that it not just needs to intercept the incoming missiles, aircrafts, and drones but also must strike back if necessary.
WATCH |Gravitas: North Korea fires ballistic missile over Japan
Earlier in 2020, Japan’s defence white paper had said that China may well have started to use hypersonic missiles in 2020. Russia began using them in 2019.
The Nikkei Asia report said that Japan is set to revise its national security strategy at the end of the year when Prime Minister Fumio Kishida-led country will outline its position related to the country’s counterstrike capabilities.
Three-stage proposal to bolster Japan’s counterstrike capabilities: Report
The report added that a proposal that is floating in Tokyo’s power circles involves the adoption of long-range missiles in three stages. First, Tokyo may consider acquiring the Tomahawk and other battle-tested cruise missiles from Washington. Second, it may upgrade its homegrown Type 12 surface-to-ship missile, extending its range from less than 200 km at present to 1,000 km. The new missiles could be introduced as early as 2026, the daily added.
With its bolstered defence capabilities, Japan intends to have executable abilities to strike distant targets both at sea and on land.
(With inputs from agencies)
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