TOKYO: Japan and the United States are likely to develop an interceptor missile to counter the hypersonic threat that is being developed by North Korea, China and Russia.
According to a report appearing in a Japanese newspaper, the agreement is on the cards when United States President Joe Biden meets Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the United States on Friday.
President Joe Biden and the Japanese Premier are expected to meet in Camp David Maryland while at the same time, the tri-lateral summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is also on the cards.
The initial agreement between US and Japan was agreed upon in January when US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken along with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada.
USA and Japan are developing the hypersonic missile interceptor as, unlike typical warheads that follow a predictable course of trajectory the hypersonic ballistic warhead can change course making it a difficult target to intercept.
The two countries Japan and USA are developing the technology to counter the missile warheads in space and Japan plans to deploy them on its naval warships to counter the threat from North Korea’s missile strike.
