Japan, US to study additional radar installation

Officials in Japan and the US are considering installing an additional radar system in Japan to strengthen missile defense in East Asia. Japan Self-Defense Forces Chief of Staff Shigeru Iwasaki was meeting in Washington with the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey. They discussed nuclear developments in North Korea and China's military activities and sought to reinforce cooperation for stability in the Asia-Pacific region. They agreed to look at installing the powerful X-band radar system for early detection of a missile launch and its trajectory. That system is already in place at a Self-Defense Forces base in northern Japan to manage the threat of North Korean missiles. The additional installation of the radar system would improve capacity to monitor possible short-range and medium-range ballistic missile launches from China.