Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera met local opposition Friday against the planned deployment of a land-based missile shield amid questions over the necessity for such a system due to easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The government is pushing to install the U. S.-developed Aegis Ashore system in Akita
Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera met local opposition Friday against the planned deployment of a land-based missile shield amid questions over the necessity for such a system due to easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The government is pushing to install the U. S.-developed Aegis Ashore system in Akita and Yamaguchi prefectures to strengthen Japan’s defenses against potential threats from North Korean nuclear arms or missiles, possibly to become operable by fiscal 2023.
But many residents around possible deployment sites have voiced concern that the system’s radar, which emits strong radio waves, could be harmful to human health. Some have also questioned the need for such a system amid the ongoing detente on the Korean Peninsula following the historic U. S.-North Korea summit on June 12.
During his visit to Yamaguchi Prefecture on Friday, Onodera told Gov. Tsugumasa Muraoka, « While North Korea has several hundred ballistic missiles that can hit Japan and quite a few nuclear warheads, there have been no concrete moves to abandon them. The threat we’re facing hasn’t changed. »
« We’ll explain over and over again to dispel the concerns of local people, » Onodera also said.
