International
US to install anti-missile radar in Japan http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=US+to+install+anti%2Dmissile+radar+in+Japan&id=98525
Associated Press
Tuesday, December 26, 2006 (Tokyo):
The US military wants to deploy additional high-powered radar in Japan amid regional tension over North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programmes, a newspaper reported on Tuesday.
The US military activated an X-Band radar outpost in September in northern Japan.
It has asked for permission to set up a second one in the country's south to monitor the Taepodong-2 launch site in northeastern North Korea, the 'Asahi' newspaper said.
Japan's Defense Agency is currently reviewing Washington's request, it said without citing sources. The Defense Agency, however, denied the report.
The X-Band radar is powerful enough to identify baseball-size objects from thousands of kilometers away.
It is designed to differentiate between decoys and real missile warheads.
Concern over North Korea's military threat has increased following Pyongyang's missile firings in July and its nuclear test in October 9.