Japan to boost defense against cruise missile: paper

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is planning to beef up its defense against cruise missiles in response to China's growing air strike capabilities, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Sunday.

The measure will be part of the government's review of the mid-term defense plan, which will begin in the fiscal year starting in April, the newspaper said.

Japan has been lagging in efforts to counter cruise missile attacks while focusing on a ballistic missile defense system due to threats from North Korea, it said.

Japan tested its first ship-based anti-ballistic missile interceptor off Hawaii in a join exercise with the United States last month.

However, the defense Ministry is now set to increase the number of aircraft equipped with airborne warning and control systems and develop advanced long-range surface-to-air missiles to boost its ability to counter cruise missile attacks, the Yomiuri said.

"We haven't recognized them as a major threat," a senior Japanese defense official was quoted as saying in the newspaper.

But cruise missiles are more likely to be used than ballistic missiles, the defense official told the daily, citing their ability to strike specific targets with pinpoint accuracy.

Japan's plan to boost its air defense came at a time when China has equipped its fighter jets and submarines with domestically produced cruise missiles, which have a range of more than 1,000 kilometers, the Yomiuri reported.

The report also said Beijing has started developing advanced precision-guided missiles with a range of about 3,000 kilometers -- a range similar to the U.S. military's Tomahawk missiles.

(Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)