Japan to boost air defenses against cruise missiles to cope with China threat

TOKYO — The defense ministry plans to boost its defenses against cruise missiles as China increases its air strike capabilities, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported Sunday. The ministry plans to increase the number of aircraft equipped with airborne warning and control systems and install state-of-the-art radar to allow early detection of precision-guided missiles heading for Japan, the daily said.

It is also considering developing an advanced long-range surface-to-air missile, the report said, citing senior defense ministry sources.

The government has so far mainly focused on developing a ballistic missile defense system, primarily in response to a perceived threat from North Korea.

Meanwhile, China has equipped its fighter jets and submarines with domestically developed cruise missiles, which have a range in excess of 1,000 kilometers, the newspaper said.

Beijing is also believed to have started developing advanced precision-guided missiles with a range of about 3,000 kilometers — similar to that of the U.S. military's Tomahawk cruise missile, it said.

Chinese fighter jets repeatedly approached Japan last year, coming close enough to launch a cruise missile before returning to Chinese air space, the newspaper said.

"We believe these acts were unlikely to be part of information-gathering exercises, but rather drills to prepare for a possible cruise missile attack on Japan," a senior Japanese defence official told the Yomiuri.

Jan 28, 2008 (AFP)