Japan says it will begin building ballistic missile defense system

TOKYO — Japan will begin building a missile defense system, the government said Friday, the first step of long-discussed plans to protect the country amid concerns about the threat from North Korea.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s Cabinet and his top security advisers approved the project, citing "a spread of missiles and a rise in weapons of mass destruction," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said in a statement.

"Ballistic missile defense is a purely defensive — and the sole — means of protecting the lives of our country’s people and their property against a ballistic missile attack," the statement said.

Japan has studied the technology for missile defense with the United States, but until now it has only mulled plans to build such a system.

Fukuda did not explain details of the program. Media reports said the plan calls for refitting four Aegis-equipped destroyers with sea-based anti-missile rockets and purchasing Patriot anti-missile rocket batteries starting next year. The new system will be deployed from 2007 through 2011, Kyodo News reported.

The government will allocate $935 million for the program in the next fiscal year beginning April, while the cost for the entire program was estimated at $4.67 billion, the agency said.

The project will not fully shield Japan from incoming missiles, however. Analysts say the sea-based missiles and the Patriot missiles have imperfect success rates for shooting down projectiles. Their limited number also means they cannot provide cover for the entire country.

Japan has become increasingly concerned with being able to protect itself against incoming missiles after North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile over its main island in 1998.

Fukuda stressed missile defense was not offensive in nature and wouldn’t be a menace to others. That statement appeared aimed at allaying the concerns of China and other neighbors that the system could signal a move toward building greater military power.

"It will not threaten neighboring countries, and will not have a detrimental affect on the region’s stability," Fukuda said. He added it would not violate Japanese laws against defending other nations, since the system would be used exclusively by Japan for its own protection.