Japan Completes PAC-3 Missile Export to U.S.

Tokyo, Nov. 20 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Thursday that the country has completed the delivery of Patriot Advanced Capability-3, or PAC-3, surface-to-air guided missiles to the United States. The missiles, held by the Air Self-Defense Force, were exported under a contract signed in July last year at the request of the United States amid a shortage of U.S. missiles to support Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. The move allows Japan to indirectly support Ukraine. Kihara declined to specify the timing and quantity of the export, saying the information relates to the operations of the SDF and the U.S. military. The export “will contribute to enhancing the Japan-U.S. alliance, Japan’s security and the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region,” Kihara said. He explained that the export is intended to replenish the U.S. military’s missile stockpiles and confirmed that the missiles in question would not be provided to third countries. In 2023, the Japanese government revised its implementation guidelines on defense equipment transfers to allow exports of arms and ammunition made in Japan under license from foreign firms to the countries where they are licensed. It is the first time for Japan that finished equipment made at home under a foreign license has been transferred overseas. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]