Japan to get two more Aegis-equipped destroyers

The Japanese government has approved the construction of two additional destroyers equipped with the Aegis combat system for use by the country’s Maritime Self-Defence Force.

A Japanese cabinet official said the new ships will be deployed in place of two land-based platforms originally proposed to mount the same US-developed integrated weapon system, which is capable of air defence as well as anti-ballistic missile defence.

Plans to construct the land-based Aegis-equipped assets had been abandoned earlier, the same official added.

Funding for the new destroyers is expected to be approved by the start of the next Japanese fiscal year in April 2021.