The government denied Thursday media reports that it is considering scrapping its plan to deploy the Aegis Ashore land-based missile defense system in the northeastern city of Akita amid strong local opposition.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference that the central government is "still re-examining" candidate sites for the U.S.-developed Aegis missile defense batteries that are expected to go into operation in fiscal 2025 at the earliest.
The Aegis Ashore will supplement the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Aegis-equipped destroyers in protecting Japan from North Korean ballistic missiles.