日本計劃開發遠程導彈以對抗中國，俄羅斯

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Japan plans to develop longer-range missiles to counter China, Russia

Tue, August 30, 2022 at 9:54 PM

By Tim Kelly

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will develop and mass produce a cruise missile and a high-velocity ballistic missile, it said on Wednesday, as it seeks the ability to strike more distant targets as part of a military expansion aimed at meeting threats from China and Russia.

The procurement plan unveiled in the Ministry of Defence's annual budget request represents a clear departure from a decades-long range limit imposed on Japan's constitutionally constrained Self Defence Forces, that meant they could only field missiles with ranges of a few hundred kilometres.

"China continues to threaten to use force to unilaterally change the status quo and is deepening its alliance with Russia," the ministry said in its budget request.

"It is also applying pressure around Taiwan with supposed military exercises and has not renounced the use of military force as a way to unite Taiwan with the rest of China," it said.

Alarm about China's regional ambitions grew this month after it fired five ballistic missiles into waters less than 160 km (100 miles) from Japan in a show of force after U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visited Taiwan.

The ministry also mentioned North Korea as a threat to Japan.

The budget request is for funding to mass produce ground-launched cruise missiles, an extended range version of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries designed Type 12 missile already in use, to strike ships, and a new, high-velocity glide ballistic missiles capable of hitting ground targets.

The ministry is also seeking money to develop other projectiles, including hypersonic warheads.

The ministry did not give a range for the proposed weapons, or say how many it planned to field, but they would likely be able to reach targets in mainland China if deployed along Japan's nearby southwest Okinawa island chain.

Japan has already ordered air-launched missiles, including the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) made by Norway's Kongsberg, and Lockheed Martin Corp's Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-Off Missile (JASSM) with a range of up to 1,000 km (620 miles).

Unlike with ship or ground-based launchers, however, the number it can fire is limited by how many planes it can put in the air to fire them.

The ministry asked for a 3.6% increase in spending to 5.6 trillion yen ($39.78 billion) for the year starting on April 1, but said the figure would rise after it calculated the cost of new procurement programmes.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government will approve that increased request at the end of the year when it will also unveil a major defence strategy overhaul and new midterm military buildup plan.

Kishida, who has described security in East Asia as "fragile" after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has promised to "substantially" increase defence outlays to prepare Japan for regional conflict.

His ruling Liberal Democratic Party in its upper house election manifesto in July promised to double defence spending to 2% of gross domestic product over five years.

That would make Japan the world's third biggest military spender behind major ally the United States, and neighbouring China.

In addition to increasing stockpile of missiles and other munitions, Japan's military wants to develop its cyber defences, electromagnetic warfare capabilities and space presence.

(Reporting by Tim Kelly; Editing by Robert Birsel)

Translation

東京（路透社）- 日本週三表示，因為它正去尋求可打擊更遠距離目標的能力, 它將開發和大規模生產巡航導彈和高速彈道導彈，作為軍事擴張的一 部分, 旨在應對來自中國和俄羅斯的威脅。

防衛省年度預算申請中所公佈的採購計劃, 明顯背離了對日本憲法約束的自衛隊長達數十年的射程限制，這意味著他們能部署射程達幾百公里的導彈。

該省在其預算請求中表示: “中國繼續威脅使用武力去單方面改變現狀，並正在深化與俄羅斯的聯盟” 。

它說: “中國還通過所謂軍事演習在台灣周圍施加壓力，並且沒有放棄使用武力作為一種方式,將台灣與中國統一起來”。

在美國眾議院議長佩洛西訪問台灣後，中國向距離日本不到 160 公里（100 英里）的水域發射了五枚彈道導彈，以顯示武力，令日本對中國在地區野心的擔憂加劇。

該省還提到北朝鮮是對日本的威脅。

預算請求是提供資金, 為大規模生產陸基巡航導彈、即是三菱重工設計的並已在使用的 12 型導彈的增程版本, 以打擊艦船, 及能夠擊中地面目標的新型高速滑翔彈道導彈。

該省還在尋求資金來開發其他發射体，包括高超音速彈頭。

該省沒有給出建議武器的射程，也沒有說明計劃部署多少，但如果部署在日本附近的沖繩西南島鏈沿線，它們很可能能夠射到中國大陸的目標。

日本已經訂購了空射導彈，包括挪威Kongsberg聯合攻擊導彈（JSM）和Lockheed Martin Corp's的聯合空對地防區外導彈（JASSM），射程可達 1,000 公里（620 英里） 。

然而，它與艦載或陸基發射器不同的是，它可以發射的數量, 是受到有多少架飛機可以在空中發射的限制。

該省要求從 4 月 1 日開始的年度支出增加 3.6%，至 5.6 萬億日元（397.8 億美元），但表示在計算新採購計劃的成本後，這一數字將上升。

岸田文雄首相的政府將在年底批准這一增加的要求，屆時還將公佈一項重大的國防戰略改革和新的中期軍事建設計劃。

在俄羅斯入侵烏克蘭後，岸田曾將東亞的安全描述為 “脆弱” ，並承諾 “大幅” 增加國防開支，為日本應對地區衝突做好準備。

他的執政黨自民黨在 7 月份的上議院選舉宣言中承諾在五年內將國防開支翻一番，達到國內生產總值的 2%。

這將使日本成為僅次於主要盟友美國和鄰國中國的世界第三大軍費開支國。

除了增加導彈和其他彈藥的庫存外，日本軍方還希望發展其網絡防禦、電磁戰能力和太空參与。

       So, Japan will develop and mass produce missiles so as to seek the ability to strike more distant targets to meet threats from China and Russia. This represents a clear departure from a decades-long range limit imposed on Japan’s Self Defense Forces. It seems that Asia has become more dangerous and war cloud is gathering there.