US and Japan agree to build AMRAAM final assembly plant in Japan
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi says the allies will build a final assembly and inspection plant for the AMRAAM missile under Operation Supercharge.
The story in focus
The United States and Japan have agreed to establish a Japanese facility for joint production of advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said. Announced Wednesday in Cebu, the plan covers a final assembly and inspection plant for the AMRAAM, which arms F-35 fighters.
- Koizumi announced the agreement Wednesday in Cebu, where he met US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of an annual Southeast Asian defense chiefs meeting.
- The plant would handle final assembly and inspection of the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, known as AMRAAM.
- Koizumi said the missiles are essential for F-35 fighter jets, which both the US and Japanese militaries use.
- The joint effort is called Operation Supercharge.
- Koizumi also said three Chinese destroyers and a coast guard ship crossed the Osumi Strait this week, a fleet configuration his ministry had not previously spotted.
What was agreed
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the two countries agreed to build a final assembly and inspection plant in Japan for the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM. He described the joint effort as Operation Supercharge and said the missiles are essential for F-35 fighter jets, which are used by both the US and Japanese militaries.
Koizumi announced the agreement at a news conference Wednesday night in Cebu, in the central Philippines, after meeting US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of an annual meeting of Southeast Asian defense chiefs and their counterparts from major Asian and Western countries.
Regional context
NPR reports the announcement is the latest action by allies that have repeatedly expressed alarm over China's growing assertiveness in Asia. Koizumi said Thursday that three Chinese destroyers and a coast guard ship crossed the Osumi Strait south of Kyushu and headed east to the Pacific this week, calling it the first such fleet configuration his ministry had seen.
In a separate meeting Wednesday, Hegseth told ASEAN defense ministers the US approach is strong, quiet and clear, aimed at deterring coercion and aggression. Koizumi said he and Hegseth agreed to strengthen the alliance's deterrence and response capabilities with greater speed and intensity than before.
What kind of facility will the US and Japan build in Japan for missile production?
A final assembly and inspection plant for the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM, which is used on F-35 fighter jets. Koizumi said the work falls under a joint effort called Operation Supercharge.
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