US-Japan Air-to-Air Missiles to Be Made in Japan as Military Cooperation Targeting China Deepens

【Financial News, Tokyo = Correspondent Seo Hyejin】The United States and Japan have agreed to establish a final assembly and inspection facility in Japan for the joint production of the medium-range air-to-air missile AMRAAM. Ahead of revisions to three security-related documents by the end of the year, Japan also conveyed to the U.S. side its plan to strengthen its defense capabilities to deter an adversary’s invasion.
According to the Asahi Shimbun and NHK on the 28th, Japanese Defense Minister Shinjirō Koizumi and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met for about 30 minutes that day in Cebu, the Philippines, and reached this agreement. The two ministers were visiting the area to attend the expanded ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting.
At the meeting, the two sides agreed to establish in Japan a facility called FACO for the final assembly and inspection of AMRAAM missiles produced jointly. Secretary Hegseth welcomed Japan’s efforts to strengthen its defense industrial production base. The two sides also agreed to step up U.S.-Japan joint exercises, including live-fire drills.
Minister Koizumi outlined measures to strengthen Japan’s defense capabilities, including an increase in defense spending. Japan’s Ministry of Defense said, however, that they had not discussed specific defense spending figures.
Minister Koizumi said Japan plans to strengthen its “denial defense capabilities,” securing the ability to deter an invasion of Japan and prevent an adversary from achieving its military objectives. The aim is to lower the likelihood of an attack succeeding and thereby deter the adversary from attacking in the first place.
This is seen as a move in step with the U.S. strategy of strengthening “deterrence by denial” in the region to counter China. In its National Defense Strategy (NDS), the United States has set out a policy of establishing deterrence by denial along the First Island Chain linking Taiwan, Okinawa and Kyushu.
The two ministers also exchanged views on regional security, including China’s military buildup and North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons and missiles, and agreed to further strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance’s deterrence and response capabilities. In light of a series of cyberattacks targeting Japanese companies and institutions, they also agreed to expand cooperation in the cyber field.
Regarding the robbery-murder case involving a U.S. Marine stationed in Okinawa, the two sides reviewed progress on measures to prevent a recurrence. They agreed to continue discussions between their defense and foreign affairs authorities to develop effective measures.

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