BEIJING, June 6 -- The Japanese Defense Agency chief says Japan will move the joint missile defense system with the US to the development stage next year.

    The chief, Yoshinori Ono, said at the fourth Asia Security Conference Sunday in Singapore that the technological research of the system is nearly finished.

    Ono said the sea-based missile defense project will move from research to development. And the agency is planning to request several billions of yen in fiscal 2006 for the first year's development.

    He added that production would begin a five-year development phase ending in fiscal year 2011.

    Japan and the United States are jointly developing a large sea-based interceptor missile with a longer range that enables it to cover a wide area. The missile can distinguish a targeted missile from a decoy.

    The two governments have decided to launch a missile interceptor test next March in the ocean near Hawaii.

    Japan and the US started the cooperation of their missile defense system in 1999.

(Source: CRIENGLISH.com)