Japan refutes Russia's claim that Aegis Ashore violates INF Treaty

Japan’s Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya says the Aegis Ashore system in Japan will not violate the U.S.-Russia Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and U.S. Sailors manning the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Test Complex (AAMDTC) at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) at Kauai, Hawaii, successfully conducted Flight Test Integrated-03 (FTI-03).

Photo by Mark Wright

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had said earlier that the system could be used to fire Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Iwaya did added that it is possible to add the capability to fire cruise missiles but Japan is not considering to do so.

Source