Japan will host a final assembly and inspection facility for Raytheon’s AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile under a deal with Washington, Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Wednesday in Cebu, Philippines.
Koizumi called the missile “essential” for Japan’s F-35 fleet. The allies agreed to share technical data to boost SM-3 Block IIA interceptor output, he said. No local partner was named. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not address the deals directly but called for a Pacific built on “self-reliant nations.”