Interceptor missiles to be jointly developed by Japan and the United States could be offered to third countries under certain circumstances, the Japanese Defense Agency Director General Yoshinori Ono said Thursday.

Ono made the remarks during a parliament panel session, referring to a Japan-US research project on sea-based interceptor missiles.

Japan and the United States agreed in February to enter the joint development phase. They had been conducting research on the missiles since 1999.

Source: Xinhua