The Defense Ministry is considering scrapping plans to procure U.S.-made long-range anti-ship missiles (LRASM) that were to be loaded on the Air Self-Defense Force's F-15 fighter jets to improve their capabilities, sources said.
A drastic increase in costs presented by the developer prompted the move, according to the sources.
The ministry instead plans to make improvements to a domestic long-range missile under development that is based on the Type 12 Surface-to-Ship Missile System (12SSM). The upgraded missile will be loaded on F-2s and other fighters.
Japan's electronic warfare capabilities will also be upgraded and U.S.-made Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) will be introduced to counter Chinese fighter jets, which have undergone rapid modernization.
The LRASM and JASSM are standoff missiles with ranges of about 900 kilometers that could be used for the defense of the Nansei island chain.
The ministry plans to include a policy for domestic missile upgrades in its budget request for the next fiscal year -- which has to be submitted by the end of August -- without specifying the amount. It will formally book the amount during the budget drafting process in December.
The missile upgrades will involve large costs, triggering calls to scrap the proposal. However, the ministry thinks it will be possible to do the necessary work after scrapping the LRASM procurement, which would save costs.
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