Japan alarmed by Soviet build-up

Press, 6 August 1980, Page 8

Japan alarmed by Soviet build-up

NZPA-Reuter Tokyc The Japanese Defenci Agency said yesterday that the Soviet Union ha< markedly improved its military strength in the Fai East, affecting the powei balance, in the region wit! the United States.

The agency also said in its annual White Paper, which was approved by the Cabinet, that the Soviet build-up, including troops, ships and missiles, had increased a potential threat to Japan, The 297-page White Paper, issued a week after the Cabinet tentatively agreed to increase Japan’s defence budget by nearly $1,02 billion next year, said Japan’s defence system was not sufficient to repulse even small-scale limited aggression. It emphasised the need for Japan to continue efforts to boost its defences, to maintain friendly and co-oper-ative relations with the United States, and to ensure that the Japan-United States mutual security treaty worked smoothly. The White Paper said the Soviet Union was believed

to have set up in the last year a joint headquarters to control regional army headquarters in the Baikal, Siberian and Far East districts as well as Soviet troops; in Mongolia. The new headquarters was hv the aponcv as de-

signed to raise the combat readiness of Soviet forces in East - Asia, taking into account not only China but also the Pacific area. In the last year the number of Army divisions in the Far East Army District based at Khabarovsk, 800 km west of Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido, increased by two to 20, it said. A Soviet Army division comprises between 11,000 and 14,000 men. The total ■ number - of troops in . the Far East and Baikal Army Districts — the latter based at Chita— had increased by nearly 50,000 men during the year, the White Paper said. ' • . As a result, the total number of divisions in four Soviet Army, districts," including . the Central Asia District, and-"in Mongolia, had increased by two to 46.

The strength of the Soviet Pacific Fleet, based at Vladivostok, also increased in the year by 15 ships to 785, or by 140,000 tonne to 1.52 million; tonnes — about onethird of the total Soviet naval strength of 2620 ships totalling 5.01 million tonnes.

The new . vessels included the first Soviet aircraft-car-rier to joint the Pacific Fleet, the 32,000 tonne Minsk, the assault ship Ivan Rogov and a Kara-class missile cruiser. The White Paper said the Soviet Union also had 450 bombers in the Far East region, including an unspecified, number of newly deployed strategic long-range “Backfire” bombers. In. addition, there were 1450 fighters, including MiG23s,'MiG27s, and Sukhoi fighter-bombers, and 160 reconnaissance planes, it said. By deploying Tupolev “Backfires,” the Soviet Union has boosted its antiground and anti-ship strike strength, which could affect directly Japan’s air defence system and vital- sea lanes around the archipelago, the White Paper said. I