US approves sale of Aegis weapons systems to Japan

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) – The Trump administration has approved the sale of high-tech defense missile systems to its ally Japan, media reports said on Wednesday.

The defense deal worth $2.15 billion will buy Japan two Aegis weapons systems and related equipment, Japanese news agency Kyodo said, quoting the U.S. State Department.

Japan is planning to set the two Aegis Ashore missile defense in the Akita and Yamaguchi prefectures by 2023 “to counter the North Korean missile threat,” the report said.

"The sale will provide the government of Japan with an enhanced capability against increasingly sophisticated ballistic missile threats and create an expanded, layered defense of its homeland," the department said. The U.S. Congress has been notified of the new deal.

The news of the new defense deal comes amid U.S. plans reported Tuesday to deploy homeland defense radar in Japan.

Japan is a traditional ally of the U.S. in the Far East, but last year the Trump administration met with North Korea – seen as a threat – to halt its nuclear programs, and a second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and leader Kim Jong-un is in the cards.

"It is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Japan in developing and maintaining a strong and effective self-defense capability," the report added.

The deal could raise tensions between Tokyo and Moscow, since Russia has repeatedly expressed "concerns" about Japan's planned deployment of Aegis Ashore stations. However, defense officials in Tokyo insisted that the deployment is "purely for national defense."