Japan has sent military trucks into a park in central Tokyo to see whether high-tech missile interceptors would be capable of shooting down missiles headed for the city.
Japan has two interceptors at military bases around Tokyo, but they have a limited range and would need to be deployed closer to the centre of the city was threatened by a missile attack.
The Defence Ministry tested equipment yesterday and today and at a park in Shinjuku, central Tokyo, to see if Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptors could be moved to the area from outside Tokyo in an emergency.
Japan set up interceptors near Tokyo last March to strengthen defences against neighbour North Korea, which fired a ballistic missile in 1998 that flew over the north of the country.
In 2006, Pyongyang fired more missiles and tested a nuclear device.
PAC-3s, which are meant to shoot down incoming missiles in the final phase of their flight, are scheduled to be deployed at two more locations near Tokyo by the end of March.