The Defense Ministry set its budget request at a record-high 5.2986 trillion yen (47.5 billion dollars) for fiscal 2019, up 2.1 percent from the initial budget in fiscal 2018, marking a seventh consecutive yearly increase, the ministry announced on Friday.
The budget request includes 235.2 billion yen to procure the Aegis Ashore ground-based missile defense system to enhance defense capability to counter ballistic missiles launched by North Korea and similar threats.
For defense budgets, there is a system that enables the ministry to buy defense equipment and other items in installments over several years. Therefore, the budgetary request was raised partly because the ministry will pay in fiscal 2019 for past purchases, including the Aegis system equipped on Self-Defense Forces vessels costing about 39.3 billion yen as well as the upgraded missile interceptor PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement that cost about 5.6 billion yen.
The Aegis Ashore-related costs mainly come from purchasing two of the main parts of the ground-based missile defense system. Although the ministry initially estimated the cost at 267.9 billion yen, the cost was cut down to 247.4 billion yen mainly because it abandoned for the time being adding to the system a function to intercept cruise missiles with China in mind, while also postponing tacking on parts of the cost to the request. Included in the request was 26 billion yen for purchasing a new-type of missile interceptor, the SM-3 Block 2A.
The budget request also includes the costs for enhancing defense capabilities in such new fields as space and cyber, which will be the pillar of the National Defense Program Guidelines to be compiled at the end of the year. Basically, 26.8 billion yen is for purchasing a space monitoring system, while 23.1 billion yen is for cyber defense-related costs and 10.1 billion yen for improving the capabilities of F-15 fighters for electronic warfare, as well as improvements aimed at mounting long-range cruise missiles.
The costs for the realignment of U.S. forces, which is expected to exceed 200 billion yen, is not disclosed, and will be added in compiling the budget at the end of year.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
