Japan Joins US Missile Defense Project

Japan will formally announce its intention to join the United States' "Golden Dome" missile defense initiative next week, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expected to convey this decision to U.S. President Donald Trump during a summit in Washington D.C.

on March 19. This move comes as Tokyo anticipates potential requests from Washington for assistance with missile production, driven by the ongoing Middle East conflict and other global tensions.

The "Golden Dome" project, unveiled last year with a 2028 target, aims to enhance existing ground-based defenses with experimental space-based elements for detecting and countering threats from orbit.

Background

Japan's participation is partly motivated by its desire to defend against hypersonic glide weapons developed by China and Russia. Tokyo expects the U.S.

may seek its help in producing or co-developing missiles to replenish American munitions depleted by the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran and support for Ukraine. Japan recently exported surface-to-air Patriot missiles to the U.S., marking a shift from its previous ban on lethal weapons exports.

The Trump administration is actively encouraging defense contractors to increase missile production, while Japan seeks to bolster its own munitions reserves to counter China and North Korea.