WASHINGTON: The United States and Japan have criticised China's anti-satellite weapons test in which an old weather satellite was destroyed by a missile.

WASHINGTON: The United States and Japan have criticised China's anti-satellite weapons test in which an old weather satellite was destroyed by a missile.

The Bush administration kept a lid on the test for more than a week as it weighed its significance.

Analysts said China's weather satellites would travel at about the same altitude as US spy satellites, so the test represented an indirect threat to US defence systems.

"The United States believes China's development and testing of such weapons is inconsistent with the spirit of cooperation that both countries aspire to in the civil space area," National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.

Japan demanded a full explanation from Beijing, with senior politicians suggesting China's lack of transparency over its military development could trigger suspicions about its motives in the region.