US-Japan Establish Missile Production Facility Amid Rising China Concerns

• The United States and Japan will establish a joint facility in Japan for the production of advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles.
• U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth assured ASEAN defense ministers of strong U.S. support to deter aggression in the region, without naming China.

October 29, 2026 05:31

CEBU, Philippines: The United States and Japan have agreed to set up a Japanese facility for the joint production of advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, the Japanese defense chief announced late Wednesday. The move follows a series of statements by both allies warning of China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo‑Pacific.

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi made the announcement at a news conference in Cebu, where he met U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of an annual gathering of Southeast Asian defense chiefs and their major Asian and Western counterparts.

The annual meetings are intended to prevent a large‑scale regional conflict and deepen defense cooperation. However, discussions among the U.S., China and their allies have often been marked by pointed criticism.

The missiles produced under the joint effort, dubbed “Operation Supercharge,” are essential for the F‑35 fighter fleet, Koizumi said, without giving further details. The U.S.-made F‑35 is a staple of both American and Japanese air forces.

During his brief meeting with Hegseth, Koizumi noted they “share a sense of crisis … regarding the increasingly severe regional situation and we agreed to strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan‑U.S. alliance with greater speed and intensity than ever before.”

“We reaffirmed the importance of a free and open international order based on the rule of law, which rejects any attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo through the use of force, coercion or other means,” Koizumi added, emphasizing that the talks were not directed at any specific country.

Hegseth reiterated the Trump administration’s commitment to help deter aggression in the region during a separate meeting with ASEAN defense ministers, led by Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. Like Koizumi, he refrained from naming China.

“Our approach is strong, quiet and clear,” Hegseth told the ASEAN chiefs. “Strong enough to deter coercion and aggression, quiet enough to avoid needless escalation, and clear enough that our friends, partners and potential adversaries understand where the United States stands.”

He also pledged robust deterrence against China’s assertive actions in the disputed South China Sea, a waterway claimed largely by Beijing but also contested by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

Washington has reaffirmed its obligations under the U.S.–Philippines treaty, warning that it will defend Filipino forces should they be attacked, including in the South China Sea.

Relations between Beijing and Tokyo remain strained over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea, with both sides accusing each other of infringing on maritime territory.

Associated Press journalists Aaron Favila in Cebu, Philippines and Haruka Nuga in Tokyo contributed to this report.

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