Japan intercepts ballistic missile in space test off Hawaii

Japan missile test successful

A Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer shot down a mock ballistic missile in space over the Pacific Ocean shortly after noon Monday with a U.S.-made interceptor in a test conducted off Hawaii, Defense Ministry officials said.

Experts say the success marks a major step forward for Japan in the buildup of its missile shield, which was accelerated after North Korea's missile launch tests last year. But they also voice concern it could affect the balance of military capabilities in East Asia that includes China and Russia.

The test of the high-tech Standard Missile 3 was the first by a country other than the United States.

In the test implemented in cooperation with the U.S. Navy, a mid-range ballistic missile was launched from a U.S. military range on Kauai Island at 12:05 p.m. Monday. The MSDF's Kongou, equipped with the Aegis advanced missile tracking system, sailing in waters several hundred kilometers away, detected it and fired an SM-3 about four minutes later.

About three minutes later, the interceptor reached an altitude of more than 100 km and destroyed the target in space, according to the officials.

The SM-3-equipped Kongou will be in operation after returning to Japan in early 2008, the officials said.

U.S. Missile Defense Agency chief Lt. Gen. Henry Obering told a joint press conference with Japanese Senior Vice Defense Minister Akinori Eto that the test marked ''a major milestone and major achievement for the partnership between the United States and Japan.''

In Tokyo, the Japanese government lauded the successful missile test with Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura telling a press conference, ''It is very important for the security of Japan...We must introduce the necessary equipment and conduct drills in a steady manner.''

Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba told a separate press conference, ''The shooting-down has great significance...It marks big progress in efforts to raise the credibility of the missile interception system of our country.''

The sea-based SM-3 interceptor system covers the upper range of Japan's two-layer missile defense shield.

The SM-3 is designed to intercept incoming ballistic missiles outside of the earth's atmosphere, while the ground-based Patriot Advanced Capability 3 is designed to intercept missiles missed by the SM-3, they said.

Japan's Cabinet formally decided in 2003 to develop the missile shield jointly with the United States following North Korea's test-launch of a Taepodong-1 ballistic missile in 1998, when part of its debris flew over Japanese territory and fell harmlessly into the Pacific.

Japanese government officials estimate the cost of the whole missile defense shield project will possibly reach 1 trillion yen.

The project to enable the Kongou to deal with a possible ballistic missile attack was initially planned for the end of fiscal 2007 in March 2008, top MSDF commander Adm. Eiji Yoshikawa said recently.

But the plan was brought forward by three months following North Korea's test launching of ballistic missiles in July 2006 over the Sea of Japan, the MSDF chief of staff said.

Yoshikawa also said the MSDF plans to make the SM-3 system operational on the MSDF's three other Aegis destroyers by the end of fiscal 2010.

The first PAC-3 missile launcher was introduced at the Iruma base of the Air Self-Defense Force in Saitama Prefecture in March this year. The ASDF has also equipped the Narashino base in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, with PAC-3 missiles.

The Defense Ministry plans to deploy PAC-3 missile launchers at nine other ASDF bases around Japan by fiscal 2010.