Rabbits' Ears and Doves' Dreams: The Theater Missile Defense Project
Tokyo MAINICHI SHIMBUN
17 Aug 94, Morning Edition p 23
[FBIS Translated Text] While the Japanese defense industry has decided to set up a study group on the Theater Missile Defense (TMD) project in advance of the Japanese Government's political decision, it was revealed on 16 August that the industry has already had positive exchanges of information with the U.S. Department of Defense [DOD] and the U.S. military industry. Although the Defense Policy Council has proposed Japan's participation in the TMD system, full-fledged discussion has not yet been held at the Diet in connection with some national policies as a peace-loving nation, including constitutional provisions that ban Japan's use of collective self-defense rights. Now that "hypothetical enemies" have disappeared following the end of the West-East Cold War, it is unknown against which threats Japan has to take precautions. Amid the absence of government and public arguments, the actual situation is that the defense industry is jumping the gun and the "boundary" of national policies is about to disappear.
A TMD conference between the U.S. DOD and the Japanese defense industry was held secretly in the "Zao No Ma" room on the eighth floor of the Keidanren Hall in Tokyo on 8 June. David Martin, deputy chief of the DOD's Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO), distributed a 22-page document in English on TMD project details. The document noted a missile threat by such countries as the DPRK (North Korea) as well as China, and included an explanation of the range of missiles with a map of Japan. Moreover, a report of the TMD-related budget -- which is estimated to reach $18 billion (approximately 1.8 trillion yen) by 1999 -- and first-rank military data were attached to the document.
From the Japanese side, attendees were more than 20 workers in charge of the TMD system at such companies as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Mitsubishi Corporation, Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd., and NEC Corporation. From the U.S. side, 10 people, including BMDO Deputy Chief Martin and officers on active duty, attended the conference.
There were heated questions. "Is it possible for Japanese companies to participate in the mass production of THAAD [Theater High Altitude Area Defense] missiles?" "Although you mention the possibility of joint production, is licensed production possible?"
The TMD project is an unexplored market that is to be exploited while watching military secrets. Mr. Martin replied: "There is room for joint development as well as joint production in the TMD project. We hope Japanese companies will participate."
The "Seventh TMD Conference," which was called by the DOD, started at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, on 21 June. From 20 countries -- NATO members, Israel, South Korea, and nations of the former communist bloc such as Ukraine -- 736 government officials and military-related personnel attended. The Japanese Government did not attend because it thought "it was still premature." However, 21 people from nine defense-related companies -- including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. -- attended.
During the four-day conference, the participants needed an orange-colored pass to attend the first two-day session on political situations. They also needed papers in which each government guaranteed their status, an identification card with a photograph of their face, and a passport for the last two days of the conference at which more confidential items were discussed. To enter a conference room, they had to go through a metal detector and had to undergo a body check. They were prohibited from bringing recorders, pens, or notebooks into the conference room.
With regard to the TMD system if the Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean Sea, or the Korean peninsula became a theater of war, various aspects of U.S. military technology, including missiles and sensors that are under development, were made open to the attendants. The chain of command and order of battle was also explained.
According to an excerpt of the conference, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. introduced a Japanese version of the TMD system on the third day. With regard to the conference, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry Export Division said: "Because this is a delicate issue, we refrain from comment." Yoshinori Katori, chief of the Foreign Ministry Japan-U.S. Security Treaty Division, said: "Studying (the TMD project) is good. There is no problem in Japanese companies' participation (in the conference). If conditions are created, the government also wants to participate in such a conference."
On 5 July, the Association of U.S. Aerospace Industries in Japan, which is comprised of U.S. munition companies, and Keidanren [Federation of Economic Organizations of Japan] held an informal meeting on the project. In response to the U.S. association's invitation, Keidanren once said: "As long as Japan's three principles on arms export exist, we cannot accept a request for joint production."
Defense-related companies predict that the Japanese Government will certainly introduce the TMD system. A person concerned with the munition industry who has studied the TMD system for a long time said proudly: "We have played the role that the government was originally supposed to fill. The government, which took a reluctant attitude in the beginning, has recently shown a growing interest." The defense industry was satisfied with a 12 August Defense Policy Council report that proposed Japan's positive participation in the TMD project. To which extent should Japan promote technology exchange, including military technology, with the United States? The Japanese Government "is still unable" to make a political decision on the matter, including the handling of the three principles on arms export.
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