Japan shoots down missile in space

HONOLULU: The Japanese military destroyed a mid-range ballistic missile in space with an interceptor fired from a ship off Hawaii in a test on Monday.

The US military has conducted similar successful tests in the past, but it is the first time a US ally has shot down a ballistic missile from a ship at sea.

The interceptor fired by the JS Kongo knocked out the target warhead about 160 km above the Pacific Ocean, said the US Missile Defense Agency, which carried out the test together with the Japanese and US navies.