The Aegis Ashore missile system on Hawaii on January 10, 2018. (Photo: Kyodo/VNA) |
The decision was made at a National Security Council meeting at which Kono officially told Japan's main governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) about retracting the plan to deploy the Aegis Ashore missile systems in Yamaguchi and Akita prefectures.
The missile defense system designed by the US is expected to be operational in 2025.