The United States and Japan have agreed to establish a facility in Japan for the joint production of advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced late Wednesday (Oct 28) in Cebu, Philippines.
Koizumi made the announcement at a news conference after meeting US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of an annual meeting of Southeast Asian defence chiefs and their major counterparts.
The missiles are produced under a joint effort called “Operation Supercharge” and are “essential for the F-35”, Koizumi said, without giving further details of the agreement. The US-made F-35 is among the world’s most advanced fighter jets and is also used by Japan’s military.
Koizumi said he shared “a sense of crisis … regarding the increasingly severe regional situation” with Hegseth, and that the allies agreed to strengthen deterrence and response capabilities “with greater speed and intensity than ever before”.
He added that the talks were not directed at any specific country; neither Koizumi nor Hegseth mentioned China by name.
Hegseth separately told ASEAN defence ministers that the US approach is “strong, quiet and clear” — strong enough to deter coercion, quiet enough to avoid needless escalation.
The announcement comes against a backdrop in which the allies have repeatedly expressed alarm over China’s growing assertiveness in Asia, including in the South China Sea. Beijing and Tokyo also dispute tiny Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea.
