Japan to procure new tanks, helicopter destroyer in FY 2010 budget

Thursday 24th December, 06:20 AM JST

TOKYO —

The government plans to include in its fiscal 2010 defense budget allocations for acquiring new tanks and building a new helicopter-carrying destroyer to maintain the Self-Defense Forces’ deterrence and response capabilities, government sources said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, some 28.8 billion yen in expenditures for the deadlocked issue of relocating the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture will not be earmarked in the defense-related budget draft but rather be included under a separate category as obligations for unspecified use, they said.

The ambiguity with regard to spending for the U.S. forces realignment is to avoid a backlash from the Social Democratic Party, the ruling Democratic Party of Japan’s junior coalition partner which is calling for moving Futenma out of Okinawa instead of within the southern prefecture as in a 2006 bilateral accord.

Washington has repeated its call for Japan to swiftly implement the agreement to relocate the heliport functions of Futenma in Ginowan to the less densely populated city of Nago in Okinawa by 2014. The Japanese government has set next May as a deadline for reaching a conclusion on the thorny issue.

There have been calls for putting off procurement of SDF equipment until the nation’s new defense program guidelines, which have been postponed by the new government for a year, are compiled in late 2010. The decision to acquire new combat-vehicle models is also expected to draw criticism as no other major power is doing so, analysts said.

The SDF currently has about 900 tanks, of which some 200 Type 74 tanks procured in the 1970s will likely have to be replaced in the near future.

In the August budgetary request under the previous government led by the Liberal Democratic Party, the defense ministry asked for 56.1 billion yen for 58 new tanks, but the number was significantly reduced to 16, at 15.7 billion yen, in the October request filed under the current government led by the DPJ.

As for the construction of the helicopter-carrying destroyer, the government requested 118.1 billion yen in October. Expenditures for both the new tanks and the destroyer are expected to be slashed further when the budget is compiled.

The envisioned 248-meter-long new vessel will be the largest in the Maritime Self-Defense Force, apparently aimed at helping to keep China’s active maritime activities in check.

It will be a core component for MSDF operations and the Defense Ministry expects to utilize it also for better response in large-scale disasters, evacuation of Japanese during overseas emergencies, and international peace cooperation activities, the sources said.

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8 Comments

Ultradude at 08:13 AM JST - 24th December

All purely "defensive" procurements, of course. Most Japanese are completely unaware just how large thier military forces actually are.
pathat at 08:34 AM JST - 24th December

Japan to procure new tanks, helicopter destroyer in FY 2010 budget

Better get ready to spend more in fiscal 2011 and beyond to take care of your own defense, Japan.
sasukene at 08:54 AM JST - 24th December

new helicopter-carrying destroyer

The one they have already looks just like a normal aircraft carrier. But wait, Japan is not supposed to have "force projecting" war toys.
OgieDoggie at 09:29 AM JST - 24th December

The big question here will be if the buy locally or go looking say at China, Russia or good old USA for all these new toys. And this time get something that will at least stop Godzilla!
gaijintraveller at 11:21 AM JST - 24th December

Of course, it is nothing to do with defence. It is pork. Maybe the fishermen will realise this. I hope this destroyer doesn't destroy any Japanese or other fishing boats.
YuriOtani at 11:27 AM JST - 24th December

A nice new ship to protect us from those North Korans and Russians.
alkaiser at 12:31 PM JST - 24th December

Build more Gundams like the one in Odaiba last summer to protect Tokyo from North Korean missiles.
Shumatsu_Samurai at 08:01 PM JST - 26th December

sas

The one they have already looks just like a normal aircraft carrier. But wait, Japan is not supposed to have "force projecting" war toys.

Whatever it may look like the current one is only suitable for operating helicopters, which are hardly "force projecting". I'm sure the new one will be just like that.

gt

I hope this destroyer doesn't destroy any Japanese or other fishing boats.

If they don't recklessly cross its path in such a way a collision can't be avoided I'm sure it won't.