US and Japan agree to build advanced missiles jointly

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 29 Oct, 00:20 · Archive

The United States and Japan have agreed to establish a joint facility in Japan for producing advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles. Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced the agreement at a news conference in the Philippine province of Cebu on Wednesday evening, following a meeting with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The missiles are part of a programme called 'Operation Supercharge' and are 'essential for the F-35', Koizumi said, referring to the advanced US fighter jets used by the Japanese military. The two countries have expressed alarm over China's growing aggression in Asia and described this as the latest move by the allies to strengthen their defence cooperation.

Koizumi said he 'shared a sense of crisis regarding the increasingly severe regional situation' and that the two nations had agreed to 'strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance with greater speed and intensity than ever before'. Both defence ministers reaffirmed 'the importance of a free and open international order based on the rule of law', rejecting attempts to alter the status quo through force or coercion. Koizumi cautiously noted their discussions were not directed at any specific country.

How it is being reported

• US and Japan, long alarmed by China's aggression, agree to establish missile-production facilityThe United States and Japan have agreed to establish a Japanese facility for the joint production of advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, the Japanese defense chief said.Clickorlando · 29 Oct, 00:02
• US and Japan, long alarmed by China's aggression, agree to establish missile-production facilityThe United States and Japan have agreed to establish a Japanese facility for the joint production of advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, the Japanese defense chief said.News4Jax · 29 Oct, 00:02

In this story: United States · Japan · Shinjiro Koizumi · Pete Hegseth · China · Cebu

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log