Previously, Japan abandoned its plan to locate US-made Aegis Ashore ground facilities.
The Japanese Government is considering using the US-designed HBTSS hypersonic and ballistic target tracking and surveillance system. The Yomiuri newspaper reported on Monday that the relevant discussion was initiated after the refusal of the plan to deploy the US-made Aegis Ashore ground complexes in the country.
According to the newspaper, the Japanese side expects that HBTSS satellites will be able to transmit information in real time to warships with ABM systems Aegis. It is noted that Tokyo is also considering partial participation in the creation of the system, the initial commissioning of which is scheduled for 2024 fiscal year.
On June 15, Defense Minister Taro Kono announced the end of the program for deployment of two American-made Aegis Ashore facilities in Japan. He said that when missiles are launched from these facilities it is impossible to guarantee the fall of their booster units strictly within the military base or at sea, which threatens the safety of the population. Fixing this shortcoming, he said, would be costly and time-consuming. In addition, experts point out that the Aegis Ashore complexes in the ordered configuration can not intercept ballistic missiles of the latest modifications, as well as cruise missiles.
On June 18, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that he intends to start discussing a new national defense strategy in the summer due to the decision to stop the program of purchasing from the U.S. and placing Aegis Ashore in Japan.