The U.S. has deployed the USS Shiloh, a missile defense-capable ship, to Japan in a symbolic first step in a joint U.S.-Japanese program to try to shield Japan and the region from missile attack.
The United States and Japan will begin deploying American-made anti-missile systems on Japanese soil next month amid growing concern about North Korean arms.
Japan's defense chief said Thursday that Tokyo wants to speed up efforts to establish a missile defense shield with the United States to guard against the threat posed by North Korea.
The author looks at what impact U.S. cooperation with Japan on theater missile defense will have on the Asian security dynamic.
The Japanese and U.S. governments have begun arranging for Japan to develop a rocket engine and the United States a warhead for the joint sea-based missile defense system.
Japan is actively increasing its role in military space by jointly developing missile defense systems, new generations of military spy satellites, and planning for manned stations on the moon. The author argues that these developments risk igniting an arms race with China.
The U.S. is showing reluctance to provide Japan with a system that would give it missile-launch data directly from a U.S. early-warning satellite, complicating Japan's plans to deploy Aegis missile defense cruisers.
Japan's proposed missile defense system won't be enough to initially shield the entire country but will still serve as a partial deterrence against a possible North Korean attack.
Japan should bolster its defense against possible nuclear and terrorist attacks with better anti-missile systems and closer cooperation with the U.S. military, the government said in its latest annual defense report.
The Japanese Defense Agency has ruled that the country would be within its constitutional right to intercept a ballistic missile targeting Japan or even flying over their territory.