China criticises Japan over anti-missile system

China Monday criticised Japan for approving the installation of an advanced US military radar in its Kyoto prefecture.

Japan had Thursday approved the installation of the US military radar to defend itself against missile threats from North Korea, reported Xinhua.

Hong Lei, China's foreign ministry spokesman, said his country is concerned about the action.

Lei said China believes that unilaterally deploying an anti-missile system or forging an alliance is not conducive to the resolution of the regional non-proliferation issue as well as peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and will have a severe negative impact on global strategic stability.

China advocates political and diplomatic means to deal with missile proliferation and hopes to fully accommodate the legitimate concerns of each country on missile defence to safeguard global strategic stability, he added.

An X-band radar would be set up on the Japanese Air Self-Defence Force's Kyogamisaki sub-base in the city of Kyotango.

The radar is capable of tracking precisely the trajectory of a ballistic missile and would allow the US forces to launch interceptor missiles from the ground and sea.