Japan, U.S. agree to work on alternative to Aegis Ashore plan

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi agreed Wednesday with his U.S. counterpart Mark Esper to work together closely to push ahead with an alternative to the scrapped deployment of the U.S.-developed Aegis Ashore missile interception system, Japan's Defense Ministry said.Kishi told reporters he explained to Esper over the phone that Tokyo is seeking to come up with a substitute plan by the end of this year. Japan is examining three sea-based plans in place of the land-based system, which was aimed at protecting the country from the threat posed by North Korean missiles.In June, the governme…READ FULL ARTICLE