US, Japan to build missile plant in Japan as Chinese naval movements tracked near Kyushu

CEBU, Philippines: The United States and Japan agreed Wednesday to build a plant in Japan that will assemble and inspect a missile used by the F-35 fighter jet, Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said at a news conference in the central Philippine province of Cebu. Koizumi spoke after meeting U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of an annual gathering of Southeast Asian defense chiefs.

The plant will produce the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, known as AMRAAM, as part of a joint effort Koizumi called "Operation Supercharge." He said the missiles are essential for the F-35, a U.S.-made aircraft used by the Japanese military. Koizumi said he and Hegseth "shared a sense of crisis .. regarding the increasingly severe regional situation" and agreed to strengthen deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance "with greater speed and intensity than ever before."

Koizumi also raised concerns about Chinese naval movements near Japan. He said three Chinese destroyers and a coast guard ship crossed the Osumi Strait south of Kyushu this week, then headed east into the Pacific Ocean. Koizumi said it was the first time Japan's ministry had spotted that fleet configuration. He cited the episode as "an example illustrating the challenging security environment in the region." His ministry said it will continue monitoring the activity. Japan has been accelerating military buildup in southwestern Japan to deter China.

Hegseth met separately Wednesday with ASEAN defense ministers led by Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. He described the U.S. approach as "strong, quiet and clear." "Strong enough to deter coercion and aggression, quiet enough to avoid needless escalation or public theatrics to let our actions speak for themselves," Hegseth told the ASEAN defense chiefs. He did not name China in those remarks, nor did Koizumi.

Washington has said it is obligated to defend the Philippines if Filipino forces, ships or aircraft come under armed attack, including in the South China Sea. Beijing claims nearly the entire waterway. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims there.

In Cebu on Wednesday, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said Australian forces would continue operating alongside allies in the Pacific. "Freedom of navigation on the high seas is profoundly important for Australia," Marles told The Associated Press. Last year, Australia protested after a Chinese J-16 fighter released flares and passed within 30 meters of an Australian P-8 Poseidon surveillance jet over disputed waters. Japan and China also maintain a separate dispute over Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea.