Japan eyes fighter drone, seeks record
defense budget amid China assertiveness
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[August 19, 2016]
By Nobuhiro Kubo
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan aims to develop a
prototype drone fighter jet in two decades with private sector help in a
technology strategy that focuses on weapons communications and lasers,
according to a document seen by Reuters.
The plan will be announced this month when the Defense Ministry also
unveils its request for a record budget of 5.16 trillion yen ($51
billion) for fiscal 2017, as tension rises in the East China Sea and
North Korea steps up its missile threat, government officials with
direct knowledge of the matter said.
The military technology plan calls for first developing an unmanned
surveillance aircraft in the next decade and then an unmanned fighter
jet 10 years later, the document showed.
The rise of 2.3 percent over this year's budget of 5.05 trillion yen
marks the fifth successive annual increase sought by the ministry, which
is keen to stiffen Japan's defenses as North Korea upgrades its
ballistic missile technology.
However, one security analyst said the spending was insufficient. "The
security environment surrounding Japan is severe, due to neighboring
North Korea and China," said Takashi Kawakami, a security expert at
Japan's Takushoku University.
"I personally think it's not enough."
Japan will this month formally unveil budget requests for its defense
and other ministries for the year ending March 2018.
The defense ministry's request covers the 100 billion yen cost to
upgrade Japan's PAC-3 missile defense system, said one government
source, who declined to be identified, as he was not authorized to speak
to the media.
Such an upgrade would roughly double the missile system's range to more
than 30 km (19 miles), other sources have said.
The budget proposal also includes the cost of production of the Block
IIA version of the Standard Missile-3 system being jointly developed
with the United States to shoot down missiles at higher altitudes, the
source added.
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A Japan Self-Defense Forces soldier guards near a unit of Patriot
Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles at the Defense Ministry in
Tokyo, Japan June 22, 2016. REUTERS/Toru Hanai
The ministry will also allocate budget funds to acquire an upgraded
version of the F-35 stealth fighter, made by U.S. company Lockheed
Martin Corp, the source said.
The budget request also includes the cost of strengthening the coast
guard in the southern islands of Miyakojima and Amami Oshima to
allay worries over China's more assertive activities in the East
China Sea, said the source.
Tension mounted this month after a growing number of Chinese coast
guard and other vessels sailed near disputed islets in the East
China Sea.
Japan, China and South Korea are in talks to hold a meeting of their
foreign ministers next week.
($1=100 yen)
(Reporting by Nobuhiro Kubo; Writing by Kaori Kaneko and Linda Sieg;
Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Nick Macfie)
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