TOKYO, Feb. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Japan and the United States will jointly test the Japanese-developed technologies for an advanced interceptor for the first time around March 9, Kyodo News reportedon Monday.

    The joint test, under a joint missile defense project between the two country, is to be held off Hawaii, with the purpose of checking the capabilities of a Japanese nose-cone, Kyodo quoted U.S. government sources familiar with the bilateral relations as saying.

    In the test, the nose-cone will be attached to a conventional SM-3 missile, which will be fired from the U.S. Lake Erie Aegis destroyer, the sources said.

    The nose-cone is a crucial component for a larger and upgraded version of the Standard Missile-3 interceptor to be deployed on Aegis destroyers to defend against ballistic missiles.

    Japan, bearing plans to begin establishing a missile defense shield with the conventional SM-3 interceptors by March 2008, launched missile defense research with the United States in 1999. Enditem