Washington has offered to provide Tokyo with up to 80 more advanced Patriot interceptor missiles for deployment in Japan in the wake of North Korea's missile tests last month, a news report said on Thursday.
Japan's Defence Agency will take up the offer in fiscal 2007 to accelerate the already-planned deployment of the advanced missiles on American bases in Japan for the first time, Kyodo News agency reported, citing unidentified individuals familiar with US-Japan relations.
The agency had planned to domestically build the missiles under license in fiscal 2008 and fiscal 2009, but is now set to request $99.7 million in the fiscal 2007 budget for procuring them from the US, it said.
Washington and Tokyo have been working to jointly develop a missile defence system, and last month agreed to expand cooperation on a joint ballistic missile defence shield, committing themselves to joint production of interceptor missiles.