Amid China's continued military buildup, the government needs to steadily make arrangements for defense equipment to be able to deal properly with a wide range of situations.
The Defense Ministry plans to renovate two vessels of the Maritime Self-Defense Force -- the Izumo, which is the largest among MSDF destroyers, and the Kaga, a similar type of destroyer -- so that they will be able to carry fighter jets in addition to the helicopters they already carry. The government will specify the plan in the National Defense Program Guidelines to be revised shortly.
It is expected that the Air-Self Defense Force will operate U.S.-made F-35B stealth fighters, which are capable of taking off on short runways and conducting vertical landings, on those destroyers. The move is aimed at securing activity bases for fighters in preparation for cases in which runways on land cannot be used.
It is conceivable that U.S. military airplanes involved in the defense of Japan will land on the Izumo for refueling. It is highly significant that the Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military will promote integrated operations made possible under the security-related laws and thus enhance the functioning of the bilateral alliance.
It is imperative to establish control, command and communications systems in detail between the U.S. military and the SDF and also between the MSDF and the ASDF, and to take all possible measures to ensure their practical operations.
Beefing up the air defense arrangements for the Nansei Islands and the Pacific is a pillar of Japan's defense policy, along with missile defense.
The Defense Ministry must smoothly promote the deployment of troops to Amami Oshima island and Miyakojima island while expanding and improving SDF equipment.
Curb purchase costs
Aiming to be a maritime power, China is building its third aircraft carrier. The country envisions deployment of a carrier strike group, including destroyers and submarines. The Chinese Air Force has conducted bomber training over the South China Sea, where China has militarized islands and artificial isles.
Izumo will become the first SDF vessel to carry fighters. Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya has told a press conference that fighter jets "will be carried depending on the kind of mission" and they "will not pose a threat to other countries." The Izumo's operations are expected to center on patrol and surveillance activities and transportation in the future.
The government's conventional position has been that Japan is not allowed to possess an offensive aircraft carrier capable of bringing about devastating destruction. But excessively emphasizing consistency with past explanations cannot be called beneficial. It is essential for the government to explain in detail the significance of the planned remodeling of the destroyers from the viewpoint of preparing for a contingency.
In the medium-term defense buildup plan that will be decided at the same time as the defense program guidelines, the government plans to set defense spending for the five years to come at the biggest-ever level of 27 trillion yen. Japan will purchase equipment from the United States, including the Aegis Ashore land-based missile defense system and interceptor missiles, on top of F-35B jets.
This is cutting-edge equipment, so the purchase price will be a huge sum.
There seems to be room for improvement in the way of procuring military equipment from the United States. The Defense Ministry must seriously weigh cost-effectiveness and curb costs through a package purchase and price negotiations.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 14, 2018)
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
