Japan launched its fourth spy satellite yesterday, stepping up its ability to gather intelligence from orbit and to keep an eye on neighbor North Korea's nuclear program.
The satellite, along with a smaller test prototype, was launched from the country's space center on a remote southern island atop an H-2A rocket, the workhorse of Japan's space program.
Spokesman for the Japanese space agency Satoki Kurokawa described the liftoff -- which had been postponed three times because of poor weather -- as a success. Television footage showed the rocket racing up through cloudy skies.
The launch of the radar satellite enhances a multibillion dollar, decade-old plan for Japan to have round-the-clock surveillance of the secretive North and other areas Japan wants to peer in on.
China is likely among those areas of interest. Japan's Defense Agency lists Chinese military expansion as a top security concern, and the two nations have rival claims to waters around disputed islands in the East China Sea.
However, weaknesses in the satellites' capabilities have led to criticism that the program is a waste of money and, with better data available on the commercial market, that Japan will continue to be dependent on Washington for its core intelligence.
Japanese space officials say the satellites provide an important means for the country to independently collect intelligence, and say improvements in the satellites' capabilities are in the works.
Japan launched its first pair of spy satellites into orbit in March 2003. The program grew out of concern following North Korea's launch of a ballistic missile over Japan's main island in 1998.
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