U.S.-Japan Regional Exercise This Week
December 9, 2009 :: Inside the Ring (Washington Times) :: News
The U.S. and Japan are holding a joint defence exercise this week based out of Hokkaido. Named "Yama Sakura" (Mountain Cherry Blossom), the war-games training exercise will involve maneuvers on land, sea, and air, including defending against missiles, with about 5,000 U.S. and Japanese military personnel participating. Army Lt. Gen. Bejamin R. "Randy" Mixon, head of the U.S. Army in the Pacific, told Bill Gertz of the Washington Times, that the missile defence component made sense given the fact of the clear "missile threat that exists within the region."
The U.S. forces involved will be the 3,500 U.S. Army personnel that constitute the I Corps Forward stationed at Camp Zama, 25 miles southwest of Tokyo in Zama and Sagamihara in the Kanagawa Prefecture of the Japanese state of Honshu. The commanding officer at Camp Zama is Maj. Gen. Francis J. Wiercinski. (Article, Link)
» Another Successful Japanese Intercept Test
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Japan to Develop Satellite Early Warning System
June 4, 2009 :: Straits Times :: News
Prime Minister Taro Aso has approved the development of a missile launch early warning system. Using satellites, Japan plans to increase the quantity and quality of its space surveillance of North Korea.
This follows Japan's launch of four surveillance satellites in 1998 after North Korea's launch of a long-range missile over Japan.
Amid growing concerns about North Korean belligerence and missile technology, Japan eased its long-standing policy of pacifism last year in order to permit the use of space for military defense. (Article, Link)
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Japanese Deployments
March 31, 2008 :: News
Jiji Press has reported that Japan deployed Patriot (PAC-3) missile defenses at the military base on the Ibarako prefecture, just north of Tokyo on Saturday. This marks the fourth and final deployment of Patriots aimed at protecting Tokyo from North Korea and China. The Japanese defense ministry has remarked that there is no "emergency significantly affecting the country's national security," but plans to further deploy the American developed PAC-3s at 11 Japanese bases by March 2011. (Article, Link)
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» Missile system details for: Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3)
Japan Plans Patriot PAC-3 Drills in Tokyo
November 25, 2007 :: Yomiuri Shimbun :: News
On November 25, the Japanese Defense Ministry announced it will conduct Patriot (PAC-3) missile deployment exercises at about 10 locations in Tokyo to test how the capital could be defended from a ballistic missile attack. The exercises are meant to determine the best locations for Japan's Self Defense Forces (SDF) missile defense units, which would be activated and deployed in Tokyo in the event of an emergency.
Currently, the only deployed PAC-3 interceptors are 40 kilometers away from downtown Tokyo, at the Iruma Air Base. The interceptors' 15-20 kilometer range would therefore be insufficient to protect possible targets such as the Prime Minister's office, the Diet and the Imperial Palace. The government would rely on early warning technology to immediately deploy missile interceptors to the new sites in the Tokyo to protect the central part of the city.
Japan's layered missile defense systems involve a blend of sea-based assets including Aegis-equipped destroyers and ground based PAC-3 interceptors. (Article, Link)
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» Missile system details for: Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3)
Japanese Destroyer Successfully Completed Tracking Exercise
November 16, 2007 :: The Missile Defense Agency :: News
Lieutenant General Trey Obering, head of the Missile Defense Agency, and Japanese Rear Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano announced on November 16 the successful completion of a tracking exercise of the Japanese Destroyer JS Kongo. The Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai launched a target missile, which was tracked by the JS Kongo's 3.6 Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. The destroyer then simulated the launch of a Standard Missile-3 Block IA interceptor. The JS Kongo is scheduled to conduct an actual intercept test in December. (Article, Link)
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Japan, U.S. Hold Missile Defense Drill
July 10, 2007 :: News
On July 6, Japan and the United States held a joint missile defense exercise in an undisclosed location "at sea and in air around Japan." The exercise combined four Aegis-radar equipped destroyers (three from the U.S. and one from Japan) and early warning aircraft while cooperating in target-tracking and information-sharing.
Tokyo and Washington are developing an advanced missile defense system to guard against a possible missile attack from North Korea. Japan deployed its first advanced U.S.-developed Patriot missiles this year, and plans to introduce SM-3 interceptors on its destroyers in the next few years. The next regional missile defense exercise is scheduled for November. (Article, Link)
» July 11, 2007: Japan Times on sensitive disclosure from missile drill
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» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
U.S. and Japan Plan New SM-3 Maintenance Base
December 6, 2006 :: News
The U.S. and Japan plan to build a joint base in the Nagasaki Prefecture for the maintenance of Standard Missile-3 interceptors, reports the UPI. According to sources in the Japanese Defense Agency, the facility would be located on a filled-in area off the coast near the U.S. Navy’s Hariojima ammunition depot in Sasebo. The U.S. and Japan would each maintain their own missiles, although the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (MSDF) would be able to ask the U.S. military for technical assistance if it encountered problems, allowing it to minimize costs. The SM-3, which the U.S. Navy and Japan’s MSDF plan to deploy on Aegis warships, is capable of intercepting incoming ballistic missiles in space at altitudes of 200 to 300 km. (Link)
» More stories on: Allies, Japan, Sea-Based Systems
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD, Japanese Ballistic Missile Defense
Japan Tests New SAM in Texas, with Anti-Cruise Missile Capability
December 1, 2006 :: AP :: News
Japan successfully tested a new surface-to-air missile system yesterday in a live training exercise, reports the AP. The system, known as the Chu-SAM, was test fired from Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, where Japanese forces have been training on their defensive missile systems. It had been tested six times previously at nearby White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, although Thursday’s launch was its first live training exercise. The Chu-SAM, manufactured by Mitsubishi Electronics, has a range of 50 km (31 miles) and is capable of shooting down aircraft, air-to-surface missiles, and cruise missiles. Up to 10 missiles can be fired from a single launcher to destroy multiple threats. The Chu-SAM will replace the HAWK missiles that Japanese defense forces have used since 1965. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Allies, Cruise Missile Defenses, Japan, Testing - Foreign
» Missile system details for: Japanese Ballistic Missile Defense
Four U.S. Aegis Ships to Gain SM-3 Interceptors
November 27, 2006 :: Kyodo :: News
The U.S. plans to install Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptor on four of its Aegis-equipped warships deployed in Japan in an effort to boost regional missile defense following North Korea’s nuclear test. According to U.S. officials, two of the four ships will be refitted and deployed in the spring of 2007 at the earliest, followed by the other two. The plan would bring the total number of U.S. warships equipped with SM-3 interceptors to five. The cruiser Shiloh, which already has the system, was deployed to the Yokosuka base in Kanagawa Prefecture in August 2006. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Allies, Japan, Sea-Based Systems
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD, Japanese Ballistic Missile Defense
Hackett on North Korea, Missile Defense
October 11, 2006 :: Washington Times :: Analysis
The Bush administration is handling North Korea’s nuclear brinksmanship “just right,” argues James Hackett in The Washington Times. It has reacted without histrionics, demanded action by the world community, applied a widening circle of economic sanctions, worked with allies to present a united front, and strengthened missiles defenses. Hackett notes that the North Korean test demonstrates “the folly of those who want to delay deployment of [missile] defenses while conducting interminable flight tests.” He argues that the Bush administration should accelerate deployment of additional ground-based interceptors in Alaska and California, Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptors in Japan and South Korea, and ship-based interceptors on U.S. and Japanese Aegis destroyers in the Pacific and Sea of Japan. “The combination of a united front against Pyongyang and the strengthening of missile defenses around the Pacific can keep North Korea isolated while the united front increases sanctions to push the regime toward collapse,” Hackett writes. “It is important to stay the course and ignore those who call for direct negotiations and other concessions.” (Article, Link)
» More stories on: South Korea, Nuclear Weapons, North Korea, Japan, Analysis
» Missile system details for: Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD), Aegis Ship-Based BMD
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