The Diplomat:
Japanese Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera is expected to visit the U.S. test facility in Hawaii for the ground-based Aegis Ashore system next January, according to Japanese government sources.
“The United States conducts missile intercept tests at the complex on Kauai that Onodera will visit,” Kyodo news agency reports. Japan plans to deploy two Aegis Ashore systems, the land-based version of the Aegis combat system, to defend against China’s and North Korea’s growing ballistic and cruise missile arsenals.
Japan’s Aegis Ashore installations are expected to become operational by 2023. “The government is expected to set aside funds when it drafts the fiscal 2018 budget next month to cover part of the costs of deploying the new missile system,” according to Kyodo.
