US and Japan test missiles in HUGE show of force for North Korea | World | News

Author:

Published:

Updated:

Affiliate Disclaimer

As an affiliate, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. We get commissions for purchases made through links on this website from Amazon and other third parties.

[ad_1]

The test of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defence system was said to have taken place yesterday.

Lieutenant General Sam Greaves, director of the US Missile Defence Agency (MDA), said this should boost ”confidence in the future capability for Japan to defeat the developing threats in the region”.

Japan decided to expand its ballistic missile defence capabilities, using the US-made Aegis system, last year.

The Far East nation reportedly made the decision in response to what it considers to ongoing fears about North Korean rockets.

A spokesperson for its defence ministry said: “We cannot avert our eyes from the harsh fact that several hundred ballistic missiles whose range covers our country still exist in reality.”

Japan still considers North Korea to be its most serious threat, even though US President Donald Trump has been trying to convince the rogue nation to denuclearise.

Japan stressed that its missile defence systems are for self-defence only and do not pose a threat to Russia, which has expressed concern over efforts to establish a US missile defence system in the region.

The MDA said Tuesday’s test involved a ballistic missile launched from the pacific missile range facility at Barking Sands in Kauai, Hawaii, being intercepted above the ocean by a defence missile.

It was reportedly the second time a Japanese ship armed with the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system was able to intercept a ballistic missile, the first being in February 2017.

A second test in June of last year failed when the interceptor was understood to have blown-up mid-flight.

Lt Gen Greaves said: ”We are committed to assisting the government of Japan in upgrading its national missile defence capability against emerging threats.”

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said on Monday that the US president is open to another meeting – following on from their landmark June summit – with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

This is despite national security adviser John Bolton’s assertion that the US is still waiting for Pyongyang to take steps towards putting a stop to its nuclear threat.

Mr Trump announced this week that he thought North Korea had taken some steps toward denuclearisation.

He added that he would “most likely” meet again with the dictator, who agreed back in June to work toward denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

[ad_2]

Source link

About the author

Latest posts