Japan Set to Partner with US on Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ Missile Defense System

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will announce next week that Japan plans to join President Trump's ambitious missile defense initiative. The partnership comes as Japan anticipates potential US requests for missile production assistance amid ongoing global conflicts.

Japanese officials say their country will announce participation in President Trump’s ambitious missile defense program during next week’s Washington summit, with expectations that the US may soon request help producing military equipment.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to reveal Japan’s commitment to the “Golden Dome” initiative when she sits down with President Trump on March 19 in Washington D.C., according to two government sources who spoke anonymously about the sensitive discussions.

Trump unveiled his Golden Dome concept last year with hopes of completing it by 2028. The program aims to enhance current ground-based missile interceptor systems by adding experimental space-based technology designed to spot, monitor and potentially neutralize incoming threats from orbit.

However, the initiative has shown limited concrete advancement to date, and specifics about Japan’s role remain undetermined.

The Yomiuri newspaper broke the story Friday, reporting that Tokyo views the program as potential protection against advanced hypersonic weapons currently under development by China and Russia.

Japanese officials believe Trump may ask their nation to manufacture or jointly develop missiles to replenish American weapons supplies that have been exhausted by the US-Israeli conflict with Iran and American support for Ukraine, the sources indicated. Tokyo is still weighing how it would handle such requests.

In a significant policy shift late last year, Japan shipped Patriot surface-to-air missiles manufactured under licensing agreements to the United States, marking the first time the country exported lethal weapons after decades of prohibition.

The current administration is urging defense manufacturers to increase production of missiles and ammunition that have been depleted in recent conflicts. Meanwhile, Japan seeks to strengthen its own weapons stockpiles as a deterrent against China’s growing assertiveness and North Korea’s nuclear capabilities.

Patriot missile systems have proven essential in stopping hundreds of Iranian ballistic missiles and drones targeting Gulf nations since the US and Israel began their aerial campaign against Iran this month.

Ukrainian forces have also depended on Patriot systems to protect critical energy facilities and military installations throughout Russia’s invasion that began in 2022.