Japan's 'shield' against North Korean missiles would not have worked

Country lost three years preparing for unrealistic Aegis Ashore

Missiles are driven during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of the country's founding father, Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang in April 2017. © Reuters

TETSURO KOSAKA, Nikkei senior staff writer

July 18, 2020 05:13 JST

TOKYO -- When Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono halted deployment of the land-based Aegis Ashore missile defense system a month ago, the public worried that the nation's defenses would be thrust into a vacuum.