US to station 2nd X-band missile radar in Japan
18 Sep 2012 11:40 PM GMT
US and Japanese defence ministers have agreed to deploy another X-band missile defence radar in Japan, US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said on Monday.
The move is designed to counter the threat posed by North Korea’s missile arsenal, he told reporters during a joint press conference with his opposite number in Tokyo.
‘The purpose of this is to enhance our ability to defend Japan. It’s also designed to help forward-deployed US forces,’ Panetta said.
‘It also will be effective in protecting the US homeland from the North Korean ballistic missile threat,’ he added.
Around 47,000 US troops are stationed in Japan, many of them on the far southern island chain of Okinawa.
Japan already has one X-band radar at Shariki base in Tsugaru City, in the far north of the main island of Honshu. A US team is now on the ground looking for a site to locate the radar, likely in southern Japan. Â Â Â
The move is designed to counter the threat posed by North Korea’s missile arsenal, he told reporters during a joint press conference with his opposite number in Tokyo.
‘The purpose of this is to enhance our ability to defend Japan. It’s also designed to help forward-deployed US forces,’ Panetta said.
‘It also will be effective in protecting the US homeland from the North Korean ballistic missile threat,’ he added.
Around 47,000 US troops are stationed in Japan, many of them on the far southern island chain of Okinawa.
Japan already has one X-band radar at Shariki base in Tsugaru City, in the far north of the main island of Honshu. A US team is now on the ground looking for a site to locate the radar, likely in southern Japan. Â Â Â
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