DPJ President Naoto Kan suggested Monday that Japan should consider introducing a missile defense program to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

"Previously, I had doubts about the technical feasibility of a missile defense system," Kan said at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo. "But given the current situation, I now reckon that it is worth studying the possibility of Japan being involved in developing the system."

The Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition party but diminutive compared with the ruling triumvirate, does not have a unified stance on the theater missile defense system Japan is researching with the United States.

Kan noted that while the U.S. appears to view Iraq as the primary security threat, North Korea, with its nuclear weapons program and longer-range missiles, is more threatening to Japan's security.

Kan added that deploying a U.S. Patriot antimissile system would also be "an issue to consider in the future" because it is part of a missile defense system.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's administration has said Japan is not yet at a stage where it can move beyond the current research phase to an advanced development phase in the missile defense system.

Kan criticized the U.S. invasion of Iraq, saying the war would provoke hostility against the U.S. and repercussions as dangerous as the weapons of mass destruction Washington accuses Iraq of possessing.

"In the case of Iraq, it was the U.S. and President (George W.) Bush who made the ultimate decision (on the use of force). I'm worried about the effect this would have on the future world," Kan said, warning of a backlash from the international community.

The opposition party leader urged Washington to return to the framework of the United Nations to resolve international issues through dialogue.