The Japan Air Self-Defense Force will equipment some of its fighters with stand-off cruise missiles as the threat from North Korea rises.
Japanese Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera made the announcement Dec. 8, adding that his country would acquire the missiles under the defense budget for Fiscal Year 2018. He said the missiles are needed in view of an “increasingly severe security environment.”
Japan’s post-World War II constitution prohibits the development of offensive military capabilities, Onodera said Tokyo would still rely on the U.S. to strike enemy bases.
He added that Japanese air defense forces wanted to equip fighters with three types of air-launched missiles that can be fired from a stand-off range. [source]
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