According to the Asian Review website, Japanese defense forces will conduct missile intercept training Tuesday in Hokkaido following North Korea's repeated firing of ballistic missiles through that airspace.

Japan Self-Defense Force's PAC-3 Patriot missile unit deployed for North Korea's rocket launch at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016 (Source Sputnik)

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force will carry out the drill at the Erimo Sub Base in the northern Japanese island. The exercise will involve the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 surface-to-air interceptor system, which can be deployed swiftly via mobile launching vehicles.

There are 34 PAC-3 units in Japan. They represent the second line of defense against an incoming rocket in case the sea-based Aegis missile shield, maintained by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, fails to intercept the target. The PAC-3 has a lateral range of up to about 40km.

In August, North Korea launched a suspected medium-range missile that flew over Hokkaido's Cape Erimo and eventually traveled some 2,700km. The regime then fired a missile in September that took a similar trajectory and traveled 3,700km.

The PAC-3 (Patriot Advanced Capability) is an upgrade of the American Patriot air defense missile system developed by Raytheon to improve capabilities of Patriot missiles against ballistic missiles. The PAC-3 Missile is a high velocity interceptor that defeats incoming targets by direct, body-to-body impact. PAC-3 Missiles, when deployed in a Patriot battery, significantly increase the Patriot system’s firepower, since 16 PAC-3s load-out on a Patriot launcher, compared with four Patriot PAC-2 missiles.