In a move that would overturn a longstanding ban on weapons' exports, the Defense Agency has signaled it wants to jointly manufacture missile parts with the United States.

The controversial move is tied to ongoing research by the two countries on a missile defense program.

The agency has already decided to purchase a missile system developed by the United States in fiscal 2004 that would deploy the surface-to-air Patriot Advanced Capability 3 system in the Kanto region along with an Aegis destroyer-based Standard Missile 3 (SM3) system.

The agency is seeking 134.1 billion yen in the next fiscal budget to deploy the missile defense system.

The two countries are currently trying to produce a more effective system than the SM3. The advanced system would be able to destroy a wider range of incoming ballistic missiles more quickly.

Japan is handling four research areas, including development of an infrared seeker to track missiles. Defense Agency officials hope within a few years to move to development and mass production of the nose cone to protect the infrared seeker as well as rocket motors.

The move to mass production would require revising Japan's current ban on the export of weapons.

In a Nov. 15 meeting, Defense Agency chief Shigeru Ishiba acknowledged to visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that the export ban was a key obstacle to joint mass production of the new missile defense system.

Liberal Democratic Party executive Fumio Kyuma, a former Defense Agency director-general, also said Friday the time may have come to rethink the export ban.

``At a minimum, I think we should allow the export of parts for weapons systems to our alliance partner, the United States,'' Kyuma said.

Analysts said Kyuma's remarks were intended to add momentum to debate about the ban within the government and ruling coalition.(IHT/Asahi: November 24,2003) (11/24)