Defense Ministry to develop hypersonic missiles by 2030s

e Defense Ministry plans to develop hypersonic missiles with an ultimate range of 3,000 kilometers, aiming to deploy them in the rst half of the 2030s, according to government o cials.

Hypersonic missiles can y on irregular trajectories at more than ve times the speed of sound, making them di cult to intercept. In addition to defending Japanese territory, the ministry is also considering using the missiles for counterstrike purposes, to target enemy missile launch sites and other locations for self-defense purposes.

China and Russia are ahead of Japan in the development of hypersonic missiles, and Russian forces have deployed them in Ukraine. Japan’s Defense Ministry has decided that it is necessary to accelerate development.

e ministry is already researching an engine and a device called a seeker that can accurately identify targets in the air. It hopes to begin manufacturing a prototype as soon as possible. e range of the missiles would be upgraded in stages.

A range of 3,000 kilometers would allow the missiles to y from Hokkaido to the Nansei Islands. is would help hold o foreign troops aiming to land on the Nansei Islands and improve deterrence.

“As technology progresses in the future, [missiles with a range of] 2,000 to 3,000 kilometers will be created,” Takaki Kawashima, chief of the ministry’s Defense Buildup Planning Bureau, said at the Foreign A airs and Defense Committee of the House of Councillors on Tuesday. (Nov. 17)