The United States and Japan have agreed to establish a missile production facility in Japan to jointly manufacture advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced Wednesday. The announcement came during a news conference in Cebu, Philippines, on the sidelines of an annual meeting of Southeast Asian defense chiefs and their counterparts from major Asian and Western countries.

The joint initiative, referred to as “Operation Supercharge,” will focus on producing the advanced medium-range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM) used by both nations’ F-35 fighter jets. Koizumi noted that the plan involves building a final assembly and inspection plant in Japan to support the deployment of these missiles, which are critical for the operation of the highly advanced U.S.-made F-35 aircraft employed by Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.

Koizumi and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held a brief meeting in Cebu, where they expressed shared concerns over the increasingly tense security environment in the region. Koizumi highlighted recent Chinese naval activity near Japan, describing an unprecedented movement earlier this week of three Chinese destroyers and a coast guard vessel through the Osumi Strait, south of Kyushu’s main island, moving toward the Pacific Ocean. He characterized this as indicative of the challenges facing regional security and reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to monitoring Chinese activities closely while accelerating its military buildup in southwestern Japan.

Both Koizumi and Hegseth emphasized the importance of deterrence. Koizumi stated their resolve to enhance the speed and intensity of alliance efforts to safeguard regional stability, reaffirming support for a “free and open international order based on the rule of law” and opposing any unilateral attempts to alter the status quo by force or coercion. Hegseth echoed these sentiments in a separate meeting with ASEAN defense ministers, highlighting a strategy described as “strong, quiet and clear” to deter coercive actions without escalating tensions unnecessarily.

The U.S. reassured the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, of continued support amid growing concerns over Beijing’s assertiveness, particularly in the disputed South China Sea. Hegseth’s message underscored the U.S. commitment to defend its interests and those of its allies in the region. Regional tensions persist as countries including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei, along with Taiwan, maintain overlapping claims in the South China Sea, where confrontations between Chinese and Southeast Asian maritime forces have escalated.

Australia’s Defense Minister Richard Marles also affirmed his country’s commitment to upholding the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific, despite provocative incidents such as a close encounter between a Chinese J-16 fighter jet and an Australian surveillance aircraft over contested waters. Marles underscored the significance of freedom of navigation on the high seas, a principle Australia and its allies continue to assert.

In addition to the South China Sea disputes, Japan and China have a separate maritime disagreement over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, with both sides frequently accusing each other of territorial incursions. The recent developments highlight ongoing efforts by allied nations to strengthen collective defense capabilities amid growing regional tensions.