Asked if an attack on a Japanese satellite would be an act of war, Abe said: "The international community should be concerned about any destruction of another country's satellite in a way that does not comply with international laws."

China last week said it had destroyed one of its own satellites, becoming the third country after the United States and the Soviet Union to shoot down anything in space.

The 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty, which bans weapons of mass destruction in space, says that all nations should avoid contamination of space and be held liable for any damage caused.

The United States has voiced concern that debris from the January 11 test could damage satellites or the manned International Space Station.

China says it had the right to carry out the test and supports the peaceful development of space.

It conducted the test after the United States, whose satellites collect intelligence on China, refused to agree to a permanent ban on satellite-killer tests.

Washington and Moscow stopped tests in 1985, in part over concerns about the debris left in space.

Japan, while officially pacifist and under the US military umbrella, has an advanced space programme and is believed by experts to be capable of conducting an anti-satellite test.

Abe visited Beijing on his first foreign trip after he took office in late September, to improve relations with China that were badly strained under former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi.

But Japan has repeatedly expressed unease about China's rapidly growing military spending.

Related Links
Read More About the Chinese Space Program