The government may accelerate around ¥100 billion in planned spending to upgrade Japan's ballistic missile defenses in the wake of rocket tests suggesting North Korea is close to fielding a more potent medium-range missile, according to three sources.
The outlays, currently in a budget request for the fiscal year starting April, include money to assess a new missile defense layer — either Lockheed Martin Corp.'s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system or Aegis Ashore, a land-based version of the ballistic missile defense system already used by vessels in the Sea of Japan.
The funding request also covers money to improve the range and accuracy of PAC-3 Patriot batteries, according to the sources, who are familiar with the proposal and who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to talk to the media.