Aegis Asshore Deployment Plan Suspended Defense Minister Apologizes to Governor of Akita Prefecture

Aegis Ashore Deployment Plan Suspended Defense Minister Akita Prefecture Governor Chen Xie June 21 15:45

Following the suspension of the deployment plan for the new interceptor missile system "Aegis Ashore", Defense Minister Kono visited Akita Prefecture on the 21st and apologized to Governor Satake, but Governor Satake withdrew the plan early. I asked for a formal decision.

Following the suspension of the "Aegis Asshore" deployment plan, Minister of Defense Kono visited Yamaguchi Prefecture on the 19th, and then on the 21st, visited the Akita Prefecture, which was considered one of the candidate sites by the Ministry of Defense, and Satake. We had a meeting with the governors.

In this, Minister Kono explained that he could not safely drop the interceptor missile's booster as to the reason for suspending the plan, and said, ``I have been annoying the locals for a long time to deploy it. Many people have made great efforts toward this, but as the Minister of Defense, I deeply apologize for being forced to make such a judgment this time."

On the other hand, Governor Satake said, "I would like to pay homage to the fact that I made a mistake and corrected it quickly, even if I decided by the government.

" It was a response that should be expressed."

After that, he said, "I would like the National Security Council to promptly make a decision about the "withdrawal" and inform the locals of it," and called for an official formal decision to withdraw the plan as soon as possible."

Defense Minister Kono "The decision was unsatisfactory"

After meeting, Minister of Defense Kono told reporters, "From the perspective of the scope of protection, deploying "Aegis Ashore" in parts of Yamaguchi and Akita prefectures will most effectively protect the entire Japanese land area." I was thinking about where to deploy it, and when I was told, "Isn't the decision made poorly?"

After that, he said, "It is true that the threat of ballistic missiles still remains, so I would like to firmly discuss within the National Security Council how to protect the land from ballistic missiles." It was.