According to the Daily Mail on December 22, Japan will export Patriot missiles to the United States, a trip that may be aimed at indirect assistance to Ukraine. The "Patriot" family is the third generation of medium- and long-range medium- and high-altitude anti-aircraft missile systems of the US Army. Among them, the "Patriot-3" was developed by the US company Raytheon, and each launch vehicle can be equipped with four sets of launchers, each group is equipped with four missiles, and the maximum range is about 20 kilometers when performing anti-missile interception operations.
Due to the large amount of aid and funds that the United States provided to Ukraine some time ago, domestic military needs are becoming increasingly tight, and 2024 is imminent, Biden has to cut aid to Ukraine. The U.S. Department of Defense said that Ukraine is facing a severe ammunition shortage, which could make Ukraine lose its advantageous position in the war. According to AFP, on December 6, the White House proposed about $68 billion in aid to Ukraine, and the Senate finally rejected the proposal with a vote of 49 in favor and 51 against (including Democratic lawmakers who voted against). All this marks that Biden can no longer "send charcoal in the snow".
However, this move by Japan has rekindled the flame of hope in Western countries. This is also one of the decisions that the United States has been looking forward to for Japan for many years. Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, tweeted that it was a "historic decision" and an important example of Japan's shared commitment to deterrence. He also said that Japan is in the process of modernizing its defense. White House adviser Jake Sullivan said the decision will ensure that the U.S. military, in close cooperation with Japan's Self-Defense Forces, continues to maintain a credible deterrence and response capability, contributing to Japan's security and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
After World War II, Japan was banned from exporting military ** and even producing military equipment. In recent years, as Japan's political status has been elevated, the call for the country's military self-defense capability has become increasingly loud.
Who allowed Japan to produce such a deadly missile as the Patriot missile?It's the United States and other Western countries. Having licenses from the American companies Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, Japan began to produce Patriot missiles. At first, only parts and frames were allowed to be produced, and later the entire set of finished products was produced. According to the Financial Times, Japan has also been authorized by the British company BAE Systems to produce 155mm artillery shells. Japan** said that armed exports will be considered once permitted by the license-holding country. In fact, countries such as Britain and the United States regard Japan as an overseas arms production base.
Although after the restructuring, Japan's exports are still restricted, such as not being able to export military equipment to countries at war, but at least it can be exported to third-party countries that assist the participating countries and make a profit.
It is reported that the transaction includes PAC-3 and PAC-2. The PAC-3 intercepts large aircraft and missiles. The PAC-2 can destroy ballistic missiles.
Exporting lethality ** is not Japan's first "breakthrough" in the export of military equipment. Not long ago, Japan sent an air surveillance radar to the Philippines, which was installed in the northwestern direction of the Philippines to monitor the movements of other countries.
It is reported that the radar is a J FPS-3 active electronically scanning array radar produced by Mitsubishi Corporation, and the contract was signed in 2020. In the future, Japan will also export three military radars to the Philippines and reach a "radar data sharing agreement" with the Philippines. This is the first time that Japan's domestically produced military equipment has been exported overseas in the form of finished products.
This move will undoubtedly allow Japan to expand its political and military influence abroad, but at the same time, it will increase the factors of regional instability. What do you think about this?