Japan Today:
TOKYO — The Japanese government plans to update its defense program guidelines five years earlier than initially planned in hope of strengthening the Japan-U.S. defense alliance under President Donald Trump’s administration, a government source said Saturday.
The plan aimed at beefing up its defense capability comes after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the new American president confirmed their resolve to further bolster the bilateral alliance in their first summit meeting earlier this month, the source said.
Considering North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs as well as China’s growing assertiveness in the East and South China seas, Tokyo will likely accelerate the procedure to update the guidelines, which typically take place every 10 years.
Abe’s Cabinet approved in 2013 the current 10-year guidelines, a basic policy outlining the improvement, maintenance and operation of Japan’s defense power during the period.
During that year it also approved a medium-term defense buildup plan through March 2019, which is compiled every five years to clarify more details of the country’s defense buildup, including the introduction of new military equipment and the size of each unit, based on the 10-year guidelines.
Tokyo is considering formulating the next guidelines to reflect the contents of the next buildup plan for fiscal 2019 to 2023 to be crafted possibly in the second half of next year, according to the source.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s panels on national defense and security have launched a joint study since Feb. 3 to see how to improve Japan’s defense capabilities, with the aim of compiling a proposal on the guidelines and the buildup plan possibly by June.
Taking into account the proposal to be made, the government is likely to accelerate debate involving the National Security Council and defense experts, the source said.
Tokyo will explore ways to deepen the Japan-U.S. defense alliance, including expanded purchases of military equipment from the United States, in the planned guidelines and the five-year plan, according to the source.
In a bid to improve its capability to counter possible incoming ballistic missiles amid Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear weapons development, the government plans to start debate over the deployment of a U.S. missile defense system known as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, system and the land-based Aegis Ashore missile defense system.
Under the current guidelines, which set integrated operations of Self-Defense Forces in the air, sea and ground as a basic policy, an amphibious unit capable of taking back remote islands will be formed next year.
The five-year plan, meanwhile, envisions buying 17 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, 52 amphibious vehicles and three unmanned drones for surveillance.
