In the most controversial acquisition of munitions since Japan gave up the right to wage war, the nation has announced that it will acquire medium-range, air-launched cruise missiles that have a range reaching up to North Korea.
At the news conference, Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera steered clear of naming North Korea, only saying that “We are planning to introduce the JSM (Joint Strike Missile) that will be mounted on the F-35A (stealth fighter) as ‘stand-off’ missiles that can be fired beyond the range of enemy threats.”
Earlier this year North Korea tested missiles that hit the Sea of Japan just inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
Japan will still be reliant on the United States to strike enemy bases, but is moving forward with its plans to defend itself against potential attacks, as stated by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a speech to the Japanese parliament last month.
The nation is also introducing Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM-ER) with extended range up to 1,000 km on its F-15 fighters. The JSM has a range of about 300 km.
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