The Japanese government is set to issue a standing order for the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to intercept incoming missiles and other objects in response to North Korea's recent launch of a ballistic missile into Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), government sources said on Aug. 5.
The government's aim is to prepare the country for potential missile launches that make use of transporter erector launchers, which obscure signs of impending missile launches. The move is also aimed at keeping North Korea in check, as it has repeatedly provoked the outside world through nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches.
The defense minister had heretofore issued missile intercept orders based on information provided by neighboring countries or prior notice from North Korea, after obtaining the prime minister's approval. However, no such order was issued when North Korea launched the Rodong intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) on Aug. 3, as Tokyo had failed to detect clear signs that a launch was about to take place.
As North Korea has already launched 17 missiles this year, of which one was the IRBM shot into Japan's EEZ near Japanese territorial waters on Aug. 3, the government is taking the North's improved missile capabilities seriously.
With the use of transporter erector launchers, the North is now capable of making surprise launches of short-range and intermediate-range missiles that could strike Japan -- such as Rodong, Scud and Musudan missiles -- anytime without being detected in advance, according to a senior Japanese Defense Ministry official.
The Japanese government is poised to establish a system that allows for a swift response to missile launches by instituting a standing order for missile interception as soon as possible. If implemented, the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF)'s Aegis destroyers equipped with SM-3 missile interceptors and ground-based PAC-3 interceptors will be deployed constantly.
At a press conference on Aug. 5, newly appointed Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said, "The Defense Ministry and the SDF are considering improvements to our warning system in order to protect our people in the case of any contingency."
Among the SDF's four Aegis destroyers equipped with ballistic missile defense systems, up to three can be deployed simultaneously, as inspection and maintenance is required for the remaining vessel. If those destroyers were to take on missile defense for all of Japan, "holidays and drills for SDF members would be cut back, possibly leading to decreased troop proficiency," a source close to the SDF told the Mainichi Shimbun.
While there are plans to introduce a new SM-3 model missile interceptor and additional Aegis destroyers, the SDF may, for the time being, need to pick and choose the scale at which it will implement its defense system, even if a standing order for missile interception is issued.
On Aug. 5, defense officials from Japan, the United States and South Korea held a director-level teleconference, where they agreed that North Korea's ballistic missile launches are an act of provocation in violation of a United Nations Security Council resolution and pose a serious threat to regional peace and stability. The officials agreed that the three countries would continue sharing information on the matter.
Meanwhile, the SDF on Aug. 5 wrapped up its search mission off Akita Prefecture for what were believed to be fragments of the Rodong missile. An MSDF escort vessel retrieved drifting objects such as a plastic bag measuring four square meters, but no missile debris was found.
The government's aim is to prepare the country for potential missile launches that make use of transporter erector launchers, which obscure signs of impending missile launches. The move is also aimed at keeping North Korea in check, as it has repeatedly provoked the outside world through nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches.
The defense minister had heretofore issued missile intercept orders based on information provided by neighboring countries or prior notice from North Korea, after obtaining the prime minister's approval. However, no such order was issued when North Korea launched the Rodong intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) on Aug. 3, as Tokyo had failed to detect clear signs that a launch was about to take place.
As North Korea has already launched 17 missiles this year, of which one was the IRBM shot into Japan's EEZ near Japanese territorial waters on Aug. 3, the government is taking the North's improved missile capabilities seriously.
With the use of transporter erector launchers, the North is now capable of making surprise launches of short-range and intermediate-range missiles that could strike Japan -- such as Rodong, Scud and Musudan missiles -- anytime without being detected in advance, according to a senior Japanese Defense Ministry official.
The Japanese government is poised to establish a system that allows for a swift response to missile launches by instituting a standing order for missile interception as soon as possible. If implemented, the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF)'s Aegis destroyers equipped with SM-3 missile interceptors and ground-based PAC-3 interceptors will be deployed constantly.
At a press conference on Aug. 5, newly appointed Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said, "The Defense Ministry and the SDF are considering improvements to our warning system in order to protect our people in the case of any contingency."
Among the SDF's four Aegis destroyers equipped with ballistic missile defense systems, up to three can be deployed simultaneously, as inspection and maintenance is required for the remaining vessel. If those destroyers were to take on missile defense for all of Japan, "holidays and drills for SDF members would be cut back, possibly leading to decreased troop proficiency," a source close to the SDF told the Mainichi Shimbun.
While there are plans to introduce a new SM-3 model missile interceptor and additional Aegis destroyers, the SDF may, for the time being, need to pick and choose the scale at which it will implement its defense system, even if a standing order for missile interception is issued.
On Aug. 5, defense officials from Japan, the United States and South Korea held a director-level teleconference, where they agreed that North Korea's ballistic missile launches are an act of provocation in violation of a United Nations Security Council resolution and pose a serious threat to regional peace and stability. The officials agreed that the three countries would continue sharing information on the matter.
Meanwhile, the SDF on Aug. 5 wrapped up its search mission off Akita Prefecture for what were believed to be fragments of the Rodong missile. An MSDF escort vessel retrieved drifting objects such as a plastic bag measuring four square meters, but no missile debris was found.
