My latest for Jane's Defence Weekly about Japan's new defense posture that could reverse its exclusively defense-oriented policy of the post-war period.
Japan to equip JASDF fighter aircraft with stand-off cruise missiles
Kosuke Takahashi - Jane's Defence Weekly
08 December 2017
Japanese Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera announced on 8 December that Tokyo plans to equip Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) fighter aircraft with long-range cruise missiles amid heightened tensions in the region over North Korea’s development and testing of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
Onodera said in a press conference that Japan would acquire the missiles under the budget for fiscal year 2018 (FY 2018) to enhance the country’s defence capabilities in view of an “increasingly severe security environment”, adding that Tokyo will still rely on the United States to strike enemy bases.
Onodera pointed out that Tokyo was looking to equip JASDF fighter aircraft with three types of air-launched missiles that can be fired at a stand-off range.
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