Japan will test-fire a U.S.-made ballistic missile to intercept an oncoming mock one in space off Hawaii next week with the help of the U.S. military, Defense Ministry officials said.
It will be the first test of the Standard Missile 3 by a country other than the United States, while experts say a successful test of the missile would mean a key step for the completion of Japan's missile shield against North Korea.
Under the current plan, the Maritime Self-Defense Force Aegis-equipped destroyer Kongou will launch an SM-3 several hundred kilometers off Kauai Island to intercept in space a target missile that will be launched from the island.
Adm. Eiji Yoshikawa, the top MSDF commander, told a recent news conference that a successful SM-3 test would enable the high-tech destroyer to deal with a ballistic missile attack by the end of this month.
The upgrade of the Kongou's capability was initially planned for the end of fiscal 2007 next March, but the plan was moved up by three months in the wake of North Korea's test launch of ballistic missiles in July 2006 in the Sea of Japan, the MSDF chief of staff said.
Yoshikawa also said the MSDF plans to install SM-3s on the three other Aegis destroyers by the end of fiscal 2010.
