Jul 28 11:35 AM US/EasternTOKYO, July 29 (AP) - (Kyodo) — The Defense Ministry conducted a training exercise for missile defense in Tokyo on Monday night using the ground-based Patriot Advanced Capability-3 system for intercepting incoming ballistic missiles.
It is the first time the ministry has carried out a full-fledged exercise using the system at its main premises in the Ichigaya district, although it conducted a field survey early this year in another area in the Japanese capital.
The Air Self-Defense Force's PAC-3 interceptor launcher and training ammunition were brought to the ministry for the exercise, as well as other equipment such as antennas and special-purpose vehicles equipped with radio relaying devices.
The exercise involved adjusting the angle of the launcher and confirming the radio wave signals.
Since March last year, Japan has begun deploying the PAC-3 interceptor systems at ASDF bases in Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures surrounding Tokyo as part of its efforts to build a missile shield.
In January, it conducted its first field survey at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, a candidate site in Tokyo for deploying the system to defend the capital, to see whether the interceptor can be fired effectively from there.
The range of PAC-3 interceptors in Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa is said to be too short to deal with ballistic missiles targeting the central Tokyo area.
Japan's two-phased missile defense system involves dealing with an incoming ballistic missile first by firing a Standard Missile-3 interceptor from an Aegis ship at sea when the missile is still outside the atmosphere, and if that fails, firing a PAC-3 from the ground.
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