Ministry of Defense of Japan

Force in Play

Will host AMRAAM final assembly; coordinates with the US

Japan will host a plant that does final assembly and testing of the AIM-120 AMRAAM, the air-to-air missile carried by F-35 fighters. Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth agreed to the facility on Oct. 28 in Cebu, Philippines.

Updated Oct 31

Force in Play

As of May 2026: Coordinating international security messaging and tracking Liaoning carrier return after patrol

What began with Chinese carrier fighters lighting up Japanese jets with radar near Okinawa has mushroomed into a full-spectrum crisis. After China and Russia sent bombers circling Japan, the US flew B-52s with Japanese fighters over the Sea of Japan.

Updated May 11

Force in Play

As of May 2026: Coordinating Japan’s military posture and diplomatic protest over the radar incidents

On December 6, 2025, two Chinese J-15 carrier fighters from the Liaoning locked fire-control radar on Japanese F-15s over international waters southeast of Okinawa. Japan's defense minister Shinjiro Koizumi called the lock-ons "dangerous" and "extremely regrettable," and Tokyo lodged a formal protest.

Updated May 10