Japan trucked its first ballistic missile interceptors to an air force base north of Tokyo on Friday in an effort to beef up its defences against its unpredictable neighbour North Korea. The deployment of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) launchers, capable of shooting down incoming missiles in the final stage of flight as they near their target, was sparked by PyongyangÂ’s firing of a ballistic missile in 1998 that flew over Japan.
But Tokyo rushed the equipment into service a year ahead of schedule after North Korea unnerved the region last year by firing more missiles and testing a nuclear device. “We consider it very meaningful to deploy the air defence missiles close to metropolitan Tokyo, which is the centre of business and political activities,” Kazumasa Echizen, the Iruma air base public information chief, said in a statement. “We will continue our efforts to be ready for any possible emergencies.” |
