Japan, US agree on new type of missile defense system
Japan and the United States signed an agreement today calling for the two countries to develop a new type of missile capable of intercepting hypersonic weapons by the 2030s.
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The project, which will cost more than $3 billion (€2.758 billion), was first announced in August, when the leaders of the two countries met at a summit in Camp David, near Washington, which was also attended by South Korea.
"In recent years, missile-related technologies such as hypersonic weapons have improved significantly around Japan," the Defense Ministry said in a statement about the deal.
"It is urgent to strengthen the ability to intercept these weapons," it added.
The Japanese government has already set aside 75 billion yen (€445 million) in its 2024 budget to develop the interceptors.
The money is part of a record defense budget approved last year amid rising tensions with China and North Korea.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has pledged to double defense spending to the NATO target of 2% of gross domestic product by 2027.
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