Building on initial reports of interest, Japan will notify the US next week of its intent to join the 'Golden Dome' missile defense project, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said ahead of her March 19 summit with President Trump. Officials anticipate US requests for Japanese missile production to replenish stocks amid Middle East and Ukraine conflicts.
Japan will inform the United States next week of its firm intent to join President Trump's 'Golden Dome' missile defense initiative, two government sources said, speaking anonymously on the sensitive matter. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to announce this at her March 19 leaders' summit with Trump in Washington, D.C.
This follows Friday reports in the Yomiuri newspaper and builds on Tokyo's expressed willingness to participate in the system, aimed at countering hypersonic threats from China and Russia.
Trump's project seeks to enhance ground-based interceptors with space-based detection and countermeasures, targeting a 2028 rollout, though progress has been slow.
Anticipating the meeting, sources said Trump may seek Japanese assistance in producing or co-developing missiles to offset US munitions depleted by the ongoing US-Israeli air war against Iran—which has relied heavily on Patriot interceptors—and aid to Ukraine against Russia since 2022.
Japan exported Patriot missiles to the US late last year, ending its longstanding ban on lethal arms exports. Tokyo is weighing its response while building its own reserves against China and North Korea.
The US is urging defense firms to ramp up production amid these conflicts.
