Japan Defense Ministry has officially requested on Dec. 8 for additional funds in the fiscal 2018 budget in order to buy long-range cruise missiles.
By Strak Jegan (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
The request is in two parts. The first is for $19 million to buy the Joint Strike Missile and the second is to research on how to integrate the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER) missile and Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) on its F-15 and probably the F-2. That will cost another $264,300.
Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said at the press conference that the new weapons would allow its forces “to respond to enemy fleets or landing forces” from a safe distance.
North Korea and their allies in The Peoples Republic of China have succeeded in awakening the “Sleeping Samurai”.