WASHINGTON, December 26 (Sputnik) — A second US missile defense radar has been deployed in Japan's central Kyoto prefecture, the Pentagon said Friday in its press release.
"The US Department of Defense and Japanese Ministry of Defense announced today the deployment of a second Army Navy/Transportable Radar Surveillance (AN/TPY-2) radar in Japan to Kyogamisaki," the press release read.
15 December 2014, 23:26 GMT
The second radar deployed in Japan is aimed "to enhance sensor coverage" for ballistic missile defense of Japan and the United States, and to "augment the existing radar" located at Shariki in northern Japan, according to the release.
"The AN/TPY-2 radar is a transportable system that performs as a highly-capable sensor for both homeland and regional missile defense," the release said indicating that the new radar deployed to central Japan would be used exclusively by US Pacific Command and US Northern Command.
In 2006, the United States deployed its first radar of this kind to Japan's northern Aomori Prefecture. Similar US forward-based radars are located in Turkey and the Middle East.
Russia has been criticizing the deployment of US missile defense systems around the world, saying they undermined the global and regional security environment, especially military and nonproliferation processes.
