In a move to accelerate Japan's introduction of a missile defense system, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz announced Tuesday that Washington will soon send its top missile commander to Tokyo.

"We will certainly welcome the participation of Japan" in a missile defense project, the Pentagon's No. 2 official told reporters at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.

Wolfowitz said the kind of system to adopt and deployment details are matters for Japan to decide.