Japan and South Korea are reportedly planning to link their radar systems through a US network to share real-time information on North Korea’s ballistic missiles. The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper was the first to report on the agreement, which would allow Japan to improve its detection capabilities as North Korea continues to fire off missiles at an unprecedented pace.
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By Missile Defense Agency, USA (www.mda.mil),first uploaded by Wikifreund, Germany [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Under the plan, the radar and command-and-control systems used by the Self-Defense Forces and US forces in Japan would be connected to the South Korean military and American forces there through the Hawaii-based US Indo-Pacific Command. This would bypass the issue of two non-allied countries sharing sensitive information instantly by routing it via their mutual ally, the US.
The three countries are also said to be working on a consultation group for sharing missile warning data in real time, with South Korea’s Defense Ministry confirming that discussions on the issue were ongoing.
A deal on the issue is expected to be announced during next month’s Shangri-La Dialogue defense summit in Singapore, with confirmation of the agreement’s details expected during a trilateral summit involving Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, and US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Group of Seven leaders’ meeting in Hiroshima next week.
The agreement comes as ties between Tokyo and Seoul have warmed in recent months, especially in the security arena, as North Korea has showcased increasingly powerful missiles capable of evading defenses in both countries. The improved defense ties are seen as a top priority for Japan, which has had difficulties tracking North Korean missile launches.
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