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Offensive missile capability mulled The government plans to research and develop a long-range missile in an apparent reversal of a postwar policy that permits the military to maintain an arsenal for defensive purposes only, media reported Dec. 3. A new midterm defense plan for the year beginning April 1, 2005, includes research for a surface-to-surface missile with a range of several hundred kilometers, the Yomiuri Shimbun and Kyodo News reported, citing anonymous Defense Agency sources. The Self-Defense Forces possess short-range missiles under a defensive policy that falls within government interpretations of the Constitution. But with a long-range weapon, Japan would have the capability of making a pre-emptive strike in foreign territory. The Yomiuri said the Defense Agency plans to study the new missile not to attack other countries but "as a measure to counter a possible invasion on a remote island several hundred kilometers away from mainland Japan."
The Japan Times Weekly: Dec. 11, 2004 |
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