The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force has successfully conducted a test to intercept a missile in an effort to build its own missile defense system. The test took place off a Hawaiian island on Monday when a Japanese naval vessel, the JS Kongo, tracked and destroyed a dummy ballistic missile fired by the U.S. Navy about 160 kilometers above the Pacific Ocean.
Japan has become the first U.S. ally to develop such a missile interception capability. We positively assess the test as it can boost Japan's security. In 2003, the country started a project to devise the missile shield in cooperation with the U.S. following North Korea's 1998 test-firing of a Taepodong-1 ballistic missile.
The one-trillion-yen project is apparently aimed at defending Japan from possible missile attacks from North Korea. And the test will likely strengthen the defense alliance between the U.S. and Japan. However, it is raising concerns about an escalating arms race in East Asia. China showed a mild reaction to test, saying that it hoped Japan would not cause instability in the region.
Military experts say China might fear that Japan could use the missile interception technology to help the U.S. defend Taiwan in case of military conflict with China. They do not rule out the possibility of Beijing using force to subjugate the island to its rule. China is trying to modernize its military, aided by its fast growing economy. The Asian giant is developing radar-evading fighter jets and plans to deploy them in 2015. It is also building up its naval force.
Thus, Japan's missile shield is feared to further prompt China and other neighboring countries to plunge into a new arms race. The Tokyo government deployed its first ground-based Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptor system in March, launching its own ballistic missile defense initiative. Monday's test was designed for a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) to intercept incoming ballistic missiles outside the earth's atmosphere, while the PAC-3 is intended to intercept missiles missed by the SM-3.
Russia is also struggling to improve its military capabilities amid a dispute over a U.S. plan to deploy its missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic. The Russian military plans to double its test launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) after 2009. According to reports, Russia's Tula submarine launched a new ICBM from the Barents Sea in the Arctic toward the Kura test range in Kamchatka on Monday. Sources say the new missile called Sineva can reach its target without being detected by the missile shield.
The ongoing weapons buildup by the U.S., Japan, China and Russia might have negative implications for the Korean Peninsula. South Korea is trying to create a permanent peace regime with North Korea, which is taking steps toward denuclearization. We hope the two Koreas will make efforts to ensure that national reconciliation and peace will prevail over the arms race.