Overview
- The Board of Audit reported that six vehicle-mounted 'Type 2' radios for Patriot air-defense units were never used and remained in warehouses for roughly four years.
- The unused radios were stored at Chitose in Hokkaido and Misawa in Aomori after being delivered in February–March 2021.
- At the same time, units at Ichigaya, Hamamatsu and Kumagaya operated short of six identical radios needed for missions.
- The audit attributed the mismatch to the Air Staff’s failure to keep an accurate grasp of deployment and installation as vehicles underwent maintenance and reassignment.
- Following the findings, the Air Staff reallocated the six radios in May 2025 and tightened information-sharing, while the Defense Ministry said other communications were used and declined to discuss wartime implications.