Japan's military successfully shot down a dummy ballistic missile in a joint test with the United States, the Defence Ministry said on Thursday, days after reports that North Korea had tested new missile engines. The joint test was the latest step in Tokyo's missile defence strategy launched after North Korea shocked Japan in 1998 by firing a ballistic missile over the country into the Pacific Ocean.
The Japanese air force shot down the dummy missile using Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptors in a ground-to-air test at White Sands, New Mexico, on Wednesday, the Defence Ministry said in a statement. Japan is the only country apart from the United States to have tested a launch of Raytheon's and Lockheed Martin's PAC-3 system, the main components of which Japanese firm Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd produces under licence, the ministry said.