Japan, US Plan Missile Interception Test

Korea Times | June 3 2005

Japan and the United States are planning to carry out a missile interception test for a jointly developed sea-based defense system in Hawaii next March, according to a Japanese media report.

The test is part of a project aimed at protecting against missile threats from North Korea, Kyodo news agency said, quoting U.S. defense officials and other sources.

An interceptor will be launched from a U.S. Aegis-equipped cruiser to take out a target hundreds of kilometers away, the report said.

In preparation for the test, Japan and the U.S. will conduct a basic flight test for their upgraded SM-3 defense system this September.

The two nations launched the joint defense project in 1999 after North Korea fired a long-range missile over Japan into the Pacific Ocean in mid-1998. Pyongyang has since agreed to a moratorium on ballistic missile tests.

The development comes amid rising tensions over North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs.