U.S. and Japan announce shared missile defense system expansion

The United States and Japan announced Monday that they will expand a shared missile defense system in East Asia by installing a new, high-powered radar in southern Japan.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Japanese Defense Minister Satoshi Morimoto said a joint U.S.-Japanese team would begin searching immediately for a site for the new radar, which would bolster one already in place in northern Japan, on the island of Hongshu.

U.S. and Japanese leaders say the missile shield is intended to defend against the threat of an attack by North Korea, which has developed a small arsenal of nuclear weapons and is seeking to extend the range of its long-range missiles so they could reach U.S. territory.

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