Japan picks Lockheed Martin radar for missile defence system - official

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan has selected Lockheed Martin Corp's advanced radar for its multibillion-dollar missile defence system, a Japanese defence ministry official with direct knowledge told Reuters on Tuesday on condition of anonymity.

Japan plans to buy two Aegis Ashore batteries that it wants to deploy in 2023 in an upgrade of its missile defence system that could help ease trade friction with Washington and provide cutting-edge protection against the arsenals of North Korea and China.

Reuters reported last week that the candidates for the radar were Raytheon Co's SPY-6 and a version of Lockheed Martin Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR).

(Reporting by Nobuhiro Kubo; Writing by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Michael Perry)