Japan to build 2 more Aegis ships

With an eye on North Korea’s nuclear missile development and China’s maritime expansion, the Japanes government plans to build two more Aegis-equipped vessels armed with state-of-the-art interceptor missiles.
The MSDF has the second largest number of Aegis vessels after the United States.
The Aegis destroyers are a core part of Japan’s ballistic missile defense. Of the six MSDF vessels, four have sea-to-air Standard Missile-3 system and are capable of detecting, tracking and intercepting ballistic missiles in space in cooperation with ground radar.
The remaining two Aegis-equipped vessels will be equipped with SM-3 Block IIA, the next-generation interceptor missiles, which is currently being developed jointly with the United States.
The two Aegis destroyers to be built are expected to be deployed within 10 years.
The government decided to build the two additional Aegis vessels because it believes North Korea’s nuclear and missile development poses an imminent threat to the nation’s security.
japan-news