The Japanese government continues explaining its position on the forthcoming deployment of Aegis Ashore missile defense systems in its territory to Russia, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference on Thursday.
Aegis Ashore. Picture: MDA
"We continue explaining this matter," Suga said. He noted that the Japanese side had explained its stance at the recent Russian-Japanese talks held in Moscow at the level of foreign and defense ministers.
Suga added that Japan would give a detailed explanation on Aegis Ashore deployment to the Russian side at high-level talks due to take place on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in autumn this year.
Earlier, Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said after bilateral talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu that the deployment of the U.S. Aegis Ashore missile defense systems was not posing any threat to Russia.
In December 2017, the Japanese government decided to deploy two U.S. Aegis Ashore missile defense systems in the north and southwest of Honshu Island approximately in 2023. The systems are supposed to defend Japan from strikes by ballistic and possibly cruise missiles.
Japan is going to buy the missile systems from the United States. Each system will cost approximately 100 billion yen (an equivalent to 897 million USD).
Russia and China are opposed to Tokyo’s plans of building up its missile defenses because that is upsetting parity in the region.
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