Japan's new Aegis ships to cost at least 900 billion yen-Asahi

FILE PHOTO: A facility of Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Test Complex is pictured in Kauai, Hawaii, U.S in this photo taken by Kyodo January 18, 2019. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's new Aegis missile-defence ships are expected to cost at least 900 billion yen ($8.27 billion), more than double the cost of two planned ground-based sites that the country cancelled last year, the Asahi newspaper reported.

Government ministers, who have yet to provide a cost estimate for the Aegis ships, may face questions in parliament about the expense, the newspaper said, without saying where it obtained the information.