Japan has announced plans to send Patriot air defense missiles to the United States following the government’s decision to revise its arms export policy, according to a Reuters report.
In a statement, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the imminent weapons shipment will bolter Japan’s security and improve peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
The move will further strengthen the defense cooperation between Japan and the United States, he added.
Under Japan’s new missile export guidelines, the air defense missiles could be shipped to countries where patent holders of the weapons systems are located.
At present, Japan manufactures Patriot missiles under licensing agreements with US defense companies RTX and Lockheed Martin.
According to Reuters, recipient countries need to secure a permit from Tokyo to reexport the defense articles.
The Department of Defense lauded Japan’s decision to transfer Patriot interceptor missiles to the United States, saying the defense article shipment will replenish U.S. inventories and enhance stability in the Indo-Pacific.
In a separate statement, Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, stressed that the continued collaboration between U.S. forces and the Japan Self-Defense Forces will provide the allied nations with “a credible deterrence and response capability.”
