All national papers except Mainichi wrote on Thursday that the Defense Ministry gave a briefing to a group of LDP Diet members specialized in security affairs on Wednesday regarding an interim report compiled by two defense contractors on a missile defense platform to replace the canceled Aegis Ashore deployment. Most LDP participants reportedly endorsed the construction of bona fide Aegis destroyers on the grounds that the alternative platform must be capable of moving quickly and defending itself from attack in view of the rapid improvement in missile technology. Almost none of the participants expressed support for the other options, including the construction of an oil rig-type structure and the conversion of a commercial vessel into an Aegis warship.

Asahi voiced qualms that the Defense Ministry is emphasizing the “technical feasibility” of installing Aegis Ashore functions on a seaborne platform, noting that some defense experts doubt whether the SPY-7 radar developed by Lockheed-Martin for an onshore platform can successfully be converted for use at sea.