Japanese Patriot Missile Battery

Japan plans to deploy 124 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptor missiles by 2010. The first 32 interceptors will be purchased from the United States, designed to be deployed at the military air bases perhaps as early as next year, and the remainder domestically produced in Japan.Kyodo, 14 November 2005. Japan has 24 air defense artilleries nationwide, and requires at least 30 PAC-3s to provide a basic defense of its airspace. However, to defend against limited, short-range attacks, such as those from North Korea, it requires more than 30 interceptors.Kyodo, 10 October 2005.

The initial Japanese deployment plan includes Tokyo and six other major urban centers, as well as four military bases in Saitama, Shizuoka, Gifu and Fukuoka prefectures. Sources indicate that each base will each receive four PAC-3 launch systems between 2006 and 2010. There will also be a total of two backup units overall. Of these 18 systems, 15 of them will have eight missiles each.Kyodo, 14 November 2005. Mobile X-Band Radar