MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Modernization will begin next year and will include missiles of increased range and the ability to hit several targets simultaneously, the source in the military told NHK TV channel.
By the spring of 2017, Japan together with the United States plans to finalize the SM3 Block 2A missile, which development has been launched in 2006. Combat deployment of these missiles was initially scheduled for 2018.
Tensions over North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs escalated after Pyongyang said on January 6 that it had successfully carried out a hydrogen bomb test and put a satellite into orbit on February 7. The moves violated UN Security Council resolutions, and prompted the United Nations as well as the United States to impose sanctions.
