WORLD / Asia-Pacific
Japan's missile defence system far from readiness
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-06-23 14:09
While the world keeps a wary eye on signs of a possible North Korean
missile test, Japan, perhaps the most nervous of the communist state's
neighbours, remains years away from completing a planned missile defence
system.
Many experts have cast doubt on the effectiveness of such an interceptor
system even when it is fully deployed.
Unnerved by North Korea's 1998 launch of a ballistic missile, part of
which flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean, Tokyo agreed to
introduce elements of the U.S. missile defence system, but the
installation process is far from complete.
"At this stage, Japan has no effective means of countering a ballistic
missile attack," said a spokeswoman at the Defence Agency.
Washington says there is evidence North Korea might test-fire its
Taepodong-2 ballistic missile, with a range of up to 4,300 km (2,670
miles), and the U.S. has activated a ground-based interceptor missile
defence system in case Pyongyang goes ahead.
Although a successful Taepodong-2 launch would not land in Japan, the
country remains unprotected for the time being from shorter-range
missiles, such as North Korea's Rodong.
The U.S. plans to deploy a ship fitted with Aegis radar equipment and
SM-3 missiles capable of shooting down an incoming medium-range ballistic
missile. But the USS Shiloh, which will be sent to the Japanese port of
Yokosuka, is not set to arrive until August.
Advanced Patriot missiles (PAC-3s), intended as a second line of defence
to intercept ballistic missiles on the downward part of their flight, are
also scheduled to be brought to U.S. bases by the end of the year.
Japan has had to cut back military spending in other areas to fund its
own missile defence plans, which account for 140 billion yen of this
year's 4.81 trillion yen defence budget.
Tokyo plans to fit its four Aegis radar system-equipped warships with
SM-3s for tracking and destroying any incoming ballistic missile in the
middle phase of flight, outside the earth's atmosphere.
The first of the ships will not be ready until some time in the financial
year that starts next April, a Defence Agency spokeswoman said.
Japan's own PAC-3s will not be deployed until early next year, while the
full quota of 16 launch units will not be complete until four years later.
"Their introduction of missile defence systems, as far as I can tell,
doesn't really have anything to do with defending Japan against
missiles," said Robert Karniol, Asia-Pacific editor of Jane's Defence
Weekly, adding he was sceptical of the systems' effectiveness.
Involvement in missile defence is a political move enabling Tokyo to
maintain its close security relationship with the United States and
militarily useful in that it helps the two countries integrate their
command and control systems, Karniol said.
But Masatsugu Naya, a security expert at Hitotsubashi University, said
missile defence could have a psychological effect even if it could not be
relied upon to intercept all incoming missiles.
"The question is whether they can shoot down a large enough percentage to
make a launching country reconsider its plans," he said. "From that point
of view it is effective."
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