Washington, United States. Japan will inform the United States next week that it intends to join the “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative and expects Washington may seek its help with missile production due to the Middle East war and other conflicts, two sources said.
Planned announcement at leaders’ summit
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will announce the plan when she meets U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. at a leaders’ summit on March 19, Japanese government sources said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Golden Dome project and current progress
Trump’s Golden Dome project, announced last year with an ambitious 2028 timeline, envisions expanding existing ground-based defenses such as interceptor missiles with more experimental space-based elements meant to detect, track and potentially counter incoming threats from orbit.
But the project has made little visible progress so far, and details of how Japan will participate remain unclear.
Reported aims and potential production requests
The Yomiuri newspaper, which first reported Japan’s plans on Friday, said Tokyo hoped the initiative could be used to defend the country against new hypersonic glide weapons being developed by China and Russia.
Tokyo anticipates Trump may request Japan to produce or co-develop missiles that could help replace stocks of U.S. munitions depleted by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, as well as U.S. support for Ukraine, the sources said. They added that Japan is still considering how to respond to any such request.
Patriot exports and munitions pressures
Japan exported a batch of surface-to-air Patriot missiles built under license to the United States late last year, marking a historic break from its long-standing ban on lethal weapons exports.
The Trump administration is pushing defense contractors to step up production of missiles and other munitions that have been drawn down in recent years. Tokyo is seeking to bolster its own munitions reserves to deter an increasingly assertive China and nuclear-armed North Korea.
Patriot use in Middle East and Ukraine
Patriot interceptors have been critical in intercepting hundreds of Iranian ballistic missiles and drones fired at Gulf countries since the U.S. and Israel launched their air war against Iran earlier this month.
Ukraine has also relied on Patriots to defend its energy and military infrastructure since Russia invaded it in 2022.
What do you think Japan’s participation in the Golden Dome initiative could mean for its defense ties with the United States?