The United States and Japan have agreed to establish a final assembly and inspection facility in Japan for the AMRAAM air-to-air missile, a landmark step that Tokyo described as 'groundbreaking' for allied munitions production in the Indo-Pacific. The agreement was announced on Wednesday, 30 October 2025, in Cebu, the Philippines, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus.

The Agreement and What Was Said

Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi revealed the deal at a press conference after meeting US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. 'We finally reached an agreement on the establishment of a final assembly and inspection facility in Japan for the AMRAAM air-to-air missile, which is essential for the F-35,' Koizumi said.

'This is a groundbreaking agreement that will not only ensure the acquisition of equipment needed by both Japan and the United States, but will also strengthen Japan's defense industry base,' he added.

The two sides also agreed to share the technical information needed to increase production of the SM-3 Block IIA, the ship-based ballistic missile interceptor jointly developed by the two countries.

Operation Supercharge: The Framework Behind the Deal

Both steps fall under 'Operation Supercharge', an initiative Koizumi first proposed to Hegseth at their meeting in Singapore on 30 May to accelerate bilateral co-development and co-production of missiles, including the SM-3 Block IIA and AMRAAM, according to Japan's Ministry of Defense.

Notably, the Pentagon's readout of the meeting did not explicitly mention the AMRAAM facility. It stated that Hegseth 'welcomed Japan's efforts to strengthen its defense industrial capacity, and both leaders committed to continue close coordination on critical munitions production.' The readout also covered greater defence investment, expanded access and presence, realistic training including live-fire exercises, and distributed operations for denial defence in the First Island Chain.

Key Details Still Undisclosed

Koizumi did not name the Japanese industrial partner, the location of the plant, a production timeline, or expected output volumes. The AMRAAM, manufactured by RTX's Raytheon, is fired by fighter jets including the F-35 and from ground-based air defence systems.

In September, the Pentagon awarded Raytheon a multiyear AMRAAM contract worth up to $20.7 billion, with an earlier framework agreement calling for production of at least 1,900 missiles a year.

Broader Indo-Pacific Context

The Japan plant would be the latest step in a wider US push to expand allied co-production of munitions across the Indo-Pacific, where Washington and its partners have flagged growing concern over China's military build-up. At their May meeting, Koizumi and Hegseth also discussed cooperation with Australia, South Korea, and the Philippines, according to Japan's Defence Ministry.

Japan has also eased its rules on defence equipment exports in recent years — a revision Koizumi briefed Hegseth on in May — further enabling such co-production arrangements. This agreement marks a significant deepening of the US-Japan defence industrial relationship and signals an accelerating effort to build resilient munitions supply chains in the region ahead of potential contingencies.