Japan ‘can’t move ahead’ with US’ Aegis Ashore missile defense system – PM Abe

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Tuesday that Japan “can’t move ahead” with a costly US missile defense system, throwing his support behind a decision to suspend deployment of the controversial program. A day earlier, Defense Minister Taro Kono said the deployment of the Aegis Ashore radar system would be suspended, citing cost and time constraints.

Abe’s comments appear to suggest the system, which was originally estimated to cost Japan $4.2 billion over three decades, may be scrapped altogether, AFP said.

The government had originally guaranteed that interceptor missile gear would not land in residential areas near where the system was based. Kono said his ministry concluded that maintaining that promise would require a costly and time-consuming hardware upgrade.

The Aegis Ashore purchase, approved in 2017, was seen both as part of attempts by Tokyo to bolster its defensive capabilities after North Korean missile launches, and as a way to foster closer ties with the US.