Home > US Asks Japan For Half A Billion Dollars For Missile Defense

US Asks Japan For Half A Billion Dollars For Missile Defense

by Open-Publishing - Tuesday 21 June 2005
9 comments

Wars and conflicts International USA

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/2005...

US Asks Japan For Half A Billion Dollars For Missile Defense
The Yomiuri Shimbun
June 20, 2005

The United States has asked Japan to contribute 58 billion yen toward a joint missile defense development project expected to begin in fiscal 2006, The Yomiuri Shimbun learned Sunday.

The U.S. government estimates it will spend a total of 545 million dollars (about 58.3 billion yen) on the project by fiscal 2011 and it has requested Japan make an equal contribution.

Japan contributed 26.2 billion yen to joint Japan-U.S. technical research on the missile defense system between 1999 and 2005.

Amid a climate of curbing defense expenditure, the government will seek to negotiate with the United States to avoid a blowout in project costs and have Japan’s contribution slashed.

The joint project will see the development of a 53-centimeter-wide interceptor missile that is currently under technical research.

The missile is expected to greatly expand the area defended from that covered by a 34-centimeter-wide interceptor missile planned for deployment on an Aegis destroyer from the end of April 2007.

The new missile is expected to be capable of distinguishing a ballistic missile from a decoy.

Under the development project, the two governments plan to complete system designs for the advanced interceptor missile by the end of fiscal 2006, and commence full-scale development in April 2007.

The Defense Agency is considering allocating several billion yen for the missile defense system in the August budget estimate for fiscal 2006.

In negotiations with Washington, the government will seek details of the estimated development cost and discuss what percentage should be borne by each government and what role each should take in advancing the project.

The government hopes to have a solid estimate of Japan’s contribution before budget estimates in August.

Giving consideration to cuts in the defense budget, agency officials are believed to be hoping that Japan’s contribution will be reduced to about 40 billion yen.

However, some agency officials did not rule out the possibility that Japan’s contribution may be greater than the amount United States is currently asking if the development project runs longer than planned.

The two governments began undertaking technical research in 1999, focusing on:

— A second-stage rocket motor

— A kinetic warhead designed to destroy targets by direct impact

— Infrared sensors to identify and track target missiles

— A nose cone for the interceptor missile to protect it from air friction

Japan and the United States have shared the cost of research equally.

The Japanese government eased its ban on arms exports in December for the joint missile research program, clearing the way for development and production.

The two governments will conduct a final function test on the missile in March, firing a prototype missile to intercept another missile off Hawaii.

Forum posts

  • While the real problems on Earth like poverty remain unresolved.

    • Perfectly reasonable stance from the No1 Bully.

      Surprised they didn’t qualify it with a veiled threat about ’another Hiroshima’ if you don’t pay up.

    • demand from a bully?
      The US has provided defense for Japan since the end of WWII. The US helped build Japan into the economic power that it is today. These are defensive weapons....if Japan wants them, they should pay for them, if not, fine, don’t. What would it cost Japan if the US decided to pack up and go home?
      With Kim’s missiles pointed at Japan, it would be a good invetment.

      Speaking of Kim, he has a million-man army to feed and his people are starving...why don’t you guys get on his case about his budgeting process? Oh, wait...he’s only doing that because if he didn’t the US would attack.....again, it’s all the US’s fault. Famine, floods , AIDS, stupidity, ignorance....all a corporate plan ....

    • The US has formed alliances with a corrupt Japanese administration in order to counter their paranoia with regard to China since ww2 US influence in the Far East has been hard earned. For over 60 years it has been playing a prominent role in the Far East, a region that it gained access to with considerable difficulty, not least because of China’s impenetrability.

      The US’ strong reaction to the European near-decision last March to lift their arms embargo against China shows how little the US wants its military position undermined. An armed to the teeth China might lead to a situation it no doubt considers among the worst of worse case scenarios in any future Far East developments.

      The most tangible counter move made by the US was its February cementing of its military bonds with Japan. The two countries signed a joint statement, designating Taiwan as a "common strategic objective". The deal, intended to strengthen security and defense cooperation, set "common strategic objectives" to deal with new threats such as terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. China reacted angrily, because its power is curbed by the deal, which was accompanied by a public request for it to show some more transparency. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan described the deal as "a bilateral scheme spawned during the Cold War period".

      The US is relentless however in working on Japan for it to become its Britain of the Far East with their joint research on the theater missile defense (TMD) system. This is intended to be in a developmental stage next year. The TMD is to target North Korea’s Nodong and Daepodong missiles and will also have a capability of reaching China’s Dong Feng nuclear base. 90% of japanese 19-25 year olds surveyed were against this development.

      US hegemony continues -but does it make the world a safer place ?

    • What would it cost Japan if the US decided to pack up and go home?

      Having lived in Japan for 12 years (including time in the Army), let me say 90% of the Japanese would love to see the US PACK UP AND GO HOME. They don’t want our bases there. They don’t want our GIs running around raping. They don’t want our arrogance.

      The real reason we are still there is that Japan’s Prime Minister is just as big a dumbfuck as our President.If the people voted on it tomorrow, our ass would be out the door.

    • "the real reason we’re there is because Japan’s Prime Minister"

      How old are you, anyway......

      The reason we’re there is because Japan did some pretty bad things with their military power and the world (not Bush, not the current PM) demanded that they disarm. The alternative is that Japan builds up their own military again. I would rather my tax dollars not be spent defending Japan, but even China and North Korea would rather the US be there than Japan start building again.

      Sure, the young in Japan want us out...just as the Soviets re-wrote history, Japan ignores it. All they would have to do is amend their constitution to allow a military build-up, establish a military, then ask the US to leave. It’s all up to them.

    • "the real reason we’re there is because Japan’s Prime Minister"

      How old are you, anyway......

      The reason we’re there is because Japan did some pretty bad things with their military power and the world (not Bush, not the current PM) demanded that they disarm. The alternative is that Japan builds up their own military again. I would rather my tax dollars not be spent defending Japan, but even China and North Korea would rather the US be there than Japan start building again.

      Sure, the young in Japan want us out...just as the Soviets re-wrote history, Japan ignores it. All they would have to do is amend their constitution to allow a military build-up, establish a military, then ask the US to leave. It’s all up to them.

    • If the Japanese go along with this extortion it will be because they feel they can afford a give back a half billion from the huge debt we owe them. If it wasn’t for the Japanese and the Chinese lending us the money to keep us out of bankruptcy our country would be completely broke as was planned for by Bushco. Bushco set out to bankrupt this country and they have almost succeeded. We still need money for the oil war though and the herion for the CIA war, and Japan and China always wanted to own the US and now they do, but it is not such a sure bet that Bushco will get Iraqs oil, or that the CIA will continue to be in on the Afghan herion trade time will tell.

  • Right now, the only way the US can respond to a nuclear attack is to use nukes itself. US security is based upon a solemn promise to nuke any country that nukes the US. MAD.

    Anti-missile systems offer the hope of shooting down a nuke before it can kill anyone. This is obviously morally superior to responding to nukes with nukes.

    Any comment?