Japan wants to possess missiles capable of attacking North Korea

Japan is reportedly preparing to purchase highly accurate air-to-ground missiles that can strike North Korean missile sites.

Japan is reportedly looking into whether its F-15 fighters can launch longer-range missiles, such as the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM-ER). Photo: militaryaerospace

Japan plans to spend part of its defense budget starting next April to study whether F-15 fighter jets can launch longer-range missiles, such asJASSM-ER name of American defense company Lockheed Martin, has a scopeshoot 1,000km,or not,Reuters quoted two informed sources today.

"The global trend is to use longer-range missiles and Japan naturally wants to consider this," he said.anonymous source said.

The country is also interested in buying the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) made by Norwegian defense company Kongsberg to equip its F-35 stealth fighter jets,Fuji TV earlier reported.

Neither of these missiles is included in the $46.76 billion budget proposal submitted by Japan's Defense Ministry. However, the ministry will add funds to evaluate the purchase of these missiles.

The change reflects the growing threat from North Korea's ballistic missiles, which have given strike capabilities priority in Japan's military planning.

Japanese Minister of DefenseItsunori Onodera said today that Japan is not currently seeking to allocate funds to buy weapons with longer ranges. "Werely on the US to attack enemy bases and do not seek to change the way we share our roles," he said.

Before taking office in August, heOnodera led a group of lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to propose that Japan buy weapons to deter Pyongyang from attacking Japan. North Korea has since launched ballistic missiles over Japan and last week tested a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile that reached an altitude of more than 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) before falling into the Sea of ​​Japan, within Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

According to VNE