Does Japan Need to Import "Small Motorcycles" from the U.S.?

On April 1, Japanese media outlet Yomiuri Shimbun reported that the Japanese government has begun discussions about importing long-range attack-capable drones from the United States—essentially replicas of Iran's "Small Motorcycle" drones, which the U.S. has already produced copies of. The plan is to combine these drones with anti-ship cruise missiles in order to enhance so-called "retaliatory capabilities."

First and foremost, it must be clarified that this is yet another attempt by Japan to circumvent its "exclusive defense" principle and accelerate military rearmament. The so-called "long-range attack drones" are essentially supplementary tools for low-cost saturation attacks.

However, one noteworthy point is that the technological barrier for such "Small Motorcycle"-style drones is not particularly high—Iran has managed to assemble them using a collection of civilian components. Given Japan’s advanced industrial and technological foundation, it absolutely possesses the capability to independently develop such systems. There is no need to go through the trouble of importing them from the U.S.—this move raises suspicions: could it be that "Commissioner Ito" is trying to profit from arms procurement, or is this merely a disguised form of tribute to the United States?

Indeed, this reflects a rather awkward situation facing Japan: on one hand, Japan is eager to rearm and establish so-called "deterrence against China"; on the other hand, America has not fully loosened its "leash," forcing Japan to purchase expensive weapons from the U.S.

A recent example is Japan’s deployment of "Tomahawk" missiles: while the U.S. version costs approximately $2 million per unit, Japan’s procurement price has reached as high as $2.85 million per missile. When additional associated costs are factored in, Japan’s total cost per missile may well exceed $5 million.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861265561568265/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.