Japan after abandoning Aegis Ashore considers three options for missile defense development

In Japan, after refusing to deploy Aegis Ashore missile defense systems, US manufacturers are considering three main options for the development of missile defense. This was reported on July 29 by the newspaper Yomiuri. According to the publication, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan, which, after the government refused to deploy US-made Aegis Ashore land complexes in the country, has taken over this issue, has now narrowed the number of missile defense development options under consideration to three. It is noted that five rounds of internal party consultations on this issue were held in a month, and it is planned to make a final decision before October. In the first version, it is proposed to purchase additional ships equipped with marine versions of the Aegis Ashore missile defense system to the existing seven (and received by the eighth in March 2021). The military will receive already familiar ships and equipment, but they may not have enough trained crews. The second option involves the purchase of a new powerful ground radar for integration into the already existing missile defense system, which in Japan currently consists of ships with Aegis Ashore (first line) and Patriot PAC-3 ground systems (second line). The third plan involves the creation of its own group of defense satellites to constantly monitor the launches of ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles. This option requires extremely high costs both for development and for the equipment itself. According to the news agency, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan will prepare its recommendations on ensuring the country's missile defense by July. This decision was caused by the refusal of the country's government to deploy US-made Aegis Ashore missile defense systems.