Chinese Perspectives on Theater Missile Defense: Policy Implications for Japan

Abstract

After several years of discussion, on August 16, 1999, the U.S. and Japan formalized an agreement to conduct joint technology research on theater missile defense (TMD). TMD systems are intended to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles; the systems come in upperand lowertier configurations and can be based on land or at sea. The U.S.-Japan agreement, which came in the form of a memorandum of understanding (MOU), calls for the U.S. Department of Defense and Japan's Defence Agency to formally begin studies on an upper-tier Navy Theater Wide (NTW) system, a mobile, sea-based configuration capable of being carried on Aegis-equipped ships.1 In response to the signing of the U.S.-Japan agreement, the Chinese government has begun to heighten its anti-TMD campaign. It is evident that China's opposition is changing from mere political rhetoric to a carefully calculated discussion founded on more realistic concerns. Accordingly, Ja-