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Japan, US set up state-of-the-art missile defense

Antennas for the Joint Tactical Ground Station system, part of the missile defense initiative, stand at Misawa Air Base, northern Japan, on Tuesday last week. PHOTO: AP

One of only four in the world, the Joint Tactical Ground Station sits in a field of snow behind the high fences of this remote base in northern Japan like a windowless trailer home with a few good satellite dishes out back.

It's not impressive. But this is the front line.

In a multibillion-dollar experiment, Japan and the US are erecting the world's most complex ballistic missile defense shield, a project that is changing the security balance in Asia and has deep implications for Washington's efforts to pursue a similar strategy in Europe, where the idea has been stalled by the lack of willing partners.

The station here is the newest piece in the shield.

"Japan is one of our strongest allies in the ballistic missile defense arena," said Brigadier General John Seward, the deputy commanding general of operations for the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command.

In a recent mock-up of how it would work, US military satellites detect a flash of heat from a missile range in North Korea, and within seconds computers plot a rough trajectory across the Sea of Japan that ends in an oval splash-zone outlined in red near Japan's main island.

In a real-world crisis, the next 10 minutes or 15 minutes could be the beginning of an all-out shooting war. Millions could die. Or, two missiles could collide in mid-air over the ocean.

Washington and Tokyo are banking on the idea that early warning of the kind provided by the Joint Tactical Ground Station (JTAG) and another state-of-the-art "X-band" radar station recently deployed nearby will lead to the latter. They are pouring a huge amount of resources -- the US Missile Defense Agency is seeking an US$8 billion budget this year -- into establishing a credible warning and response network.

Though Washington's focus and world attention has shifted to Iran, North Korea has over the past several years made major strides in its development of nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them to the shores of other countries.

In October 2006, it conducted its first nuclear test -- a step that Iran has not taken -- and more than a decade ago shot a multistage ballistic missile over Japan's main island and well into the Pacific, almost reaching Alaska.

Japan's concerns are obvious: Its islands arc around the Korean Peninsula and relations between Pyongyang and its former colonial ruler have never been good.

But the threat to the US is also pressing.

Under a mutual security pact, the US has about 50,000 troops deployed around Japan -- all within reach of North Korea's missiles.

The US military last year deployed a Patriot missile battalion to Kadena Air Base, on Okinawa. The US and Japanese navies have also increased their ability to intercept ballistic missiles from sea-based launchers.

In a test off Hawaii last month, Japan became the first country after the US to shoot a missile out of the air with a ship-launched SM-3 interceptor. Japan hopes to equip its ships with such interceptor missiles over next several years.

The sea-based interceptors, which have a longer range than land-based Patriots, are Japan's first line of defense.

Seward said he hopes the alliance with Tokyo on ballistic missile defense will serve as a model for the world.

The US operates its three other JTAGs in Germany, Qatar and South Korea.
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