China concerned about Japan's missile defense
Asian Political News, Sept 9, 2003
BEIJING, Sept. 3 Kyodo
from www.findarticles.com
Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan on Wednesday expressed concern over Japan's plan to introduce a missile defense system in 2007 and urged Tokyo to dispose of World War II mustard gas that leaked and killed a man last month in China, Japanese Defense Agency officials said.
In a meeting with visiting Defense Agency Director General Shigeru Ishiba, Cao said Japan's defense policy could undermine the region's military balance and trigger a new arms race, the officials said.
Ishiba responded by saying the planned missile defense system is a "pure defense system not designed to threaten other countries," and asked Beijing for its understanding, according to the officials. ...
In a key move to step up Japan's defense capabilities, the Defense Agency asked the Finance Ministry at the end of August for 142.3 billion yen in the fiscal 2004 budget to prepare for the introduction of U.S.-made missile defense systems.
The money is to be used for upgrading a destroyer equipped with the Aegis air-defense system and introducing a Patriot Advanced Capability-3 antimissile group. Their deployments are slated for 2007. ...
