Source: wechat official account: Bu Yi Dao has been authorized to reprint
Pen / Sword laugh & amp; Sister Tao Tao
The Japanese government is considering deploying more than 1000 long-range cruise missiles, which can “cover the coastal areas of North Korea and China”.
Yomiuri Shimbun, one of the mainstream media in Japan, released an exclusive report on the 21st, quoting government sources to disclose this information that immediately attracted wide attention of international public opinion. Although the Japanese government has not yet responded, several key factors of this news are “familiar”:
The type 12 anti-ship missile has been improved to reach a range of 1000 kilometers. It is mainly deployed in the southwest islands to prevent “Taiwan’s incident” and enhance its “counterattack capability”
The right-wing public opinion in Japan had already made it known many times before that the Japanese government was planning to upgrade its armaments. The news that thousands of long-range cruise missiles are being considered for deployment this time also made many people immediately smell the familiar smell.
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As soon as the exclusive report of Yomiuri Shimbun was published, it was immediately reprinted by major international media. Some analysts linked this news with the Japanese right-wing’s hype that “what happens to Taiwan is what happens to Japan,” believing that the purpose was to “counter China.”.
The report quoted several Japanese government officials as saying that the proposed more than 1000 missiles will be improved from the existing type 12 anti-ship missiles of the Japanese land self defense force.
After the transformation and upgrading, the target range will be increased from the current 100 kilometers to 1000 kilometers; The launch mode will also increase the number of launches from the sea and the air; The deployment sites are mainly from the southwestern islands of Japan to Kyushu Island; The deployment time is said to be very urgent in Tokyo. The first batch of improved land-based missiles will be deployed in 2024, two years ahead of the original plan.
The report also said that in order to have 1000 long-range cruise missiles at an early date, “it is necessary to increase the production lines of missile research and development enterprises.”. The Ministry of defense of Japan is considering establishing a system to support equipment investment of relevant enterprises, and relevant funds will be included in the budget of fiscal year 2023.
Why is Japan so anxious to plan and promote this action?
According to the Yomiuri Shimbun’s “report”, first, in view of the changes in the situation in the Taiwan Strait, and second, the Japanese government believes that the missile strike capability between Japan and the United States and China is “too big”.
The second “worry” is the main reason.
In order to help the Japanese government “prove itself”, the report also quoted the US Department of defense and other sources as saying that China has about 1900 land-based medium range ballistic missiles with a range covering Japan, and 300 land-based cruise missiles.
It is not only “preventing Taiwan from being in trouble”, but also “narrowing the missile gap with China” and considering the deployment of thousands of long-range cruise missiles. So far, the Japanese government has exposed its usual tactics: seeking a breakthrough in arms upgrading through hyping “security threats”.
In fact, before the number of “more than 1000” attracted international attention, the news that Japan planned to deploy missiles with a range of more than 1000 kilometers had been “circulated” for quite a while.
The Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the 17th that the Japanese government plans to install long-range land attack cruise missiles on the two newly built aegis ships. The possible target is an improved version of type 12 anti-ship missile.
Earlier, building a missile with a larger range based on the type 12 anti-ship missile has been frequently seen in various “plans” in Tokyo.
This type 12 anti-ship missile was developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in 1992 and deployed in 2015, with a maximum range of 200 kilometers. Some Japanese media said that the Japanese government was “very dissatisfied” with this range at the very beginning of the deployment. Therefore, in December 2020, it decided to launch a plan to upgrade and improve the range, expand the launch platform and upgrade the strike performance.
According to the plan, the improved funds will be deployed in 2016. However, this year alone, there have been at least two reports that the Japanese government is eager to deploy ahead of schedule. This time it is 2024, two years ahead of schedule. There was another time that it was 2023, three years ahead of schedule.
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The more this happens, the more Japan’s right-wing clamors for the so-called “threat”.
“The shadow of the ‘next war’ is spreading.” “The increasingly volatile regional situation means that Japan has little time to prepare for a comprehensive crisis involving Taiwan.”
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Some Japanese media specially recalled the so-called third “Taiwan Strait Crisis” 26 years ago, which was also considered to be the time when Japan faced the tension in the Taiwan Strait.
Ryutaro Hashimoto, then Japanese Prime Minister, told his aides that he had not slept for a whole week and was deeply worried about how Japan would be affected by the possible military conflict between China and the United States.
Hashimoto said, “if there is any conflict between China and the United States, Japan will inevitably be involved.”
The Japanese media further created a sense of crisis in a serious manner: a quarter of a century has passed, and the security situation in the Asia Pacific region has undergone tremendous changes. “The security environment surrounding Japan has never been as grim as it is today”:
China has “frequent activities” in the territorial waters around the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands, “constantly trying to unilaterally change the status quo”, and “conducting large-scale military exercises” around the Taiwan Island… The end of this absurd logic is the frequently mentioned saying “Taiwan has something, Japan has something”.
Having made so many articles around this sentence, Japan first laid the groundwork for the development of the so-called “counterattack capability”.
Before that, she described the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and said that Japan’s sovereignty was also “likely to be threatened”. After Pelosi fled to Taiwan, she exaggerated the fact that five missiles landed in Japan’s so-called “exclusive economic zone” during the mainland’s military exercise against Taiwan.
On August 16, Japan’s new defense minister yasuichi Hamada also called US Secretary of defense Austin, who was recovering from covid-19. In addition to expressing “strong condemnation” of China’s launch of ballistic missiles, he reiterated his adherence to the Japan US alliance “to deal with any situation in the region”.
Then, on August 17, yasuichi Hamada met with us ambassador to Japan Emmanuel. He wished he could talk about “strengthening the Japan US alliance” every day.
Japan US relations are so strong that the Japanese media can not think more. If a conflict occurs in the Taiwan Strait and the United States intervenes, will Japan need to “provide necessary assistance” and only play the role of logistical support and material supply?
Japanese media believe that it can be known without using one’s mind that “US warplanes and transport planes will take off and land at the Okinawa US military base near Taiwan.”. The US military bases in Okinawa, iwaki in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture, houki base, Yokota base… May all be involved in the war.
Since it is “so severe”, Japan must develop its “counterattack capability”. Under such a noisy rendering, the concrete discussion on “thoroughly strengthening the defense force” will soon be fully launched in Japan. The scale of defense expenditure, financial resources and whether it should have the ability to attack ground bases are the main arguments.
The Japanese government expects to revise the three documents, including the national security guarantee strategy, before the end of the year. It is also believed that the Japanese self defense force will make adjustments in the direction of advocating that it has the so-called “counterattack capability”.
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All these are intended to warm up Japan’s specific military actions.
Whether it is carried on the newly-built aegis warship or more than 1000 long-range cruise missiles are deployed on the southwest islands, the Japanese side’s excuse is to acquire “counterattack capability” to enhance deterrence.
This “counterattack capability” actually refers to the “attack capability against enemy bases” that has aroused widespread controversy and criticism in Japan, and its real purpose is to break through the restriction of “dedicated defense” and self relax the development of offensive military forces. It is precisely aware of the “sensitivity” of this matter that the Liberal Democratic Party has used “counterattack capability” to cover people’s eyes and ears in its proposal submitted to the Kishida government.
Japan also took the opportunity to continue to openly strengthen the so-called “defense capability” of the southern islands.
According to Japanese media analysis, the goal of the land self defense force is to establish a garrison on Naguo island or Miyako Island, and deploy missile troops on Ishigaki Island of Okinawa Island. Moreover, the self defense forces must ensure that they have the ability to defend independently until the US military joins them.
The construction of the military base on Ishigaki Island has been under way for quite a while. Nearly 600 military personnel will be stationed here, as well as air defense missiles and anti-ship missiles that can be launched from mobile launchers.
Wearing a helmet, a dark green jacket, and an embarrassed smile, Fumio Kishida stood in the type 10 tank of the Japanese land self defense force.
This photo is likely to impress many people.
At that time, it was just over a month since Kishida became the new Prime Minister of Japan.
Such an appearance has concealed Kishida’s political foundation in the dove faction of the Liberal Democratic Party and his background of representing a member of a constituency in Hiroshima.
In the past year, Japan’s actions have proved that although Kishida did not use offensive and provocative words in the defense field as Abe and kishidae did, it is precisely Mr. Kishida who is gradually disintegrating Japan’s post-war pacifism.
It plans to deploy missiles, increase defense expenditure, and try to acquire the capability of “pre emptive strike”
Some sober Japanese media have pointed out that Japan, which is wavering in its “dedicated defense”, is trying to launch war in the name of “peace”.