Beijing urges prudence by Tokyo on THAAD

China urged Japan on Monday to "act prudently" and play a constructive role in maintaining regional peace and stability, as Japan reportedly considers deployment of a US missile defense system, following the Republic of Korea.

Japan's Defense Ministry will set up a committee to begin deliberations on the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system amid the growing nuclear threat of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and Defense Minister Tomomi Inada is likely to visit Guam next month to inspect the ground-based THAAD system at the base, Japanese media reported.

"We are concerned by related reports. China's stance on the deployment of THAAD is very clear and remains unchanged," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily news conference in Beijing.