US and Japan agree to joint missile assembly facility in Tokyo

Key facts

• Japan and the US will construct a final assembly facility in Japan for the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile.
• The agreement was announced by Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on October 28.
• The facility is considered essential for the F-35 fighter jet.
• The deal aims to diversify the AMRAAM industrial base and build regional stockpiles.

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, a move that signals Japan's evolving defense posture. Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced the agreement on Wednesday, October 28, following a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Cebu, Philippines. The facility will assemble the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), which is essential for the F-35 fighter jet. This agreement is part of a broader effort to diversify the AMRAAM industrial base and build regional stockpiles, supported by a significant Pentagon contract to expand missile production.