Japan’s ability to defend itself against North Korean missiles raises doubts

The Japanese ship JS Kirishima tested the SM-3 anti-aircraft missile.

North Korea on July 4 announced a successful test launch of the Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile with the ability to `reach anywhere in the world`.

Military expert Sebastien Roblin said that this test launch puts Japan again within the threat range of North Korean missiles.

Tokyo responds to this threat by equipping 6 PAC-3 Patriot air defense missile complexes and 4 destroyers carrying RIM-161 SM-3 missile shields.

The SM-3 missile is jointly produced by Mitsubishi and Raytheon to solve this problem, with the ability to intercept IRBMs from the space launch stage and fly to the target.

JDS Kirishima (DDG-174) test-launched SM-3 missile.

RIM-161 SM-3 allows US and Japanese warships to jointly contribute to missile defense missions.

Weapons like the SM-3 can be the most effective self-defense layer for US and Japanese warships, in addition to the main task of protecting the territory against enemy MRBMs and IRBMs.

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) is operating four Kongo-class destroyers with Aegis systems and SM-3 Block I missiles, while upgrading two state-of-the-art Atago-class ships to provide anti-ship capabilities.

That forced Tokyo and Washington to sign a cooperation agreement to develop the SM-3 Block IIA version, with greater range, warhead and speed.

In two test firings, the SM-3 Block IIA was only successful once in ideal conditions, far from real combat situations.

Each SM-3 Block IIA fruit costs up to 20 million USD.

Tokyo once intended to pursue the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) project with a range of nearly 200 km, allowing the country to have a third shield besides PAC-3 and SM-3.

There are many signs that Tokyo is ready to accelerate the deployment of the Aegis Ashore system, amid increasing tensions on the Korean peninsula.

However, this is still a big question, as the US does not have enough resources to equip old SM-3 Block I bullets for Aegis ships, not to mention installing the much more expensive Block IIA transformer.