Abe stresses Aegis Ashore System is “purely defensive”

June 7, 2019

Tokyo--The Aegis Ashore land-based missile defense system, which Japan plans to procure from the United States, is a "purely defensive" system, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday.

At a House of Councillors plenary meeting, Abe said that deployment of the Aegis Ashore system in Japan is "necessary for protecting the people's lives and assets from the threat of ballistic missiles."

The remark showed that Abe is eager to dispel Russian concerns about Japan's introduction of the Aegis Ashore system, at a time when he is striving to settle a territorial dispute over four Russian-held islands and conclude a World War II peace treaty with Russia.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly reiterated Moscow's concern over Japan-U.S. military cooperation, which he claimed is hampering the peace treaty negotiations.

Abe stressed at the Upper House meeting that the Aegis Ashore system "has no ability to fire antisurface attack missiles, and we are not considering adding such an ability."

Abe noted that Aegis Ashore units to be deployed in Japan will be operated by Japan itself, not the U.S. military. Jiji Press