State Department approves $3.64 billion sale of 1,200 fighter missiles to Japan

The U.S. State Department has approved a possible deal to sell AIM-120 AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missiles to Japan for a total of $3.64 billion. A statement to this effect was published on January 2 on the website of the U.S. Defense Department's Security Cooperation Agency.

The statement says about the delivery of 1.2 thousand advanced medium-range missiles for fighter jets in AIM-120D-3 and AIM-120C-8 modifications. In addition, the deal includes guidance systems, engines, guidance heads, training missiles, transportation containers, equipment for their maintenance and reprogramming, spare parts, software, as well as logistics and technical support services.

The delivery will be carried out by defense concern RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon Technologies Corporation). The agency specified that the proposed sale of this equipment will not change the basic military balance of power in the region.

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The Russian Embassy in Tokyo warned that the transfer of such weapons through any channels would be regarded as a hostile act

Earlier in the day, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said that Japan and the United States in 2025 will work together as allies to protect international order after the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump. He also expressed hope to build good relations between the countries and in particular between Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba and Trump.

U.S. Secretary of the Army Christine Warmuth said in September that the U.S. is interested in deploying land-based medium- and short-range missiles to Japan. Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized the same month that the weapons the U.S. was deploying in Asia posed a threat to China and Russian Federation.

The Japanese embassy in Russia told Izvestia in late October that Tokyo's position on the topic of the transfer of U.S. medium-range missiles to its territory has not changed. At the same time, in November, the United States, the Republic of Korea, and Japan discussed the build-up of trilateral military exercises and the strengthening of missile defense capabilities.

On November 25, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Moscow considers the deployment of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles in Asia as one of the options for responding to similar actions by the United States. According to him, Russia's further steps will predetermine the appearance of U.S. missile systems in any region of the world. In turn, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia would take the necessary retaliatory steps in case of the deployment of US medium-range missiles in Japan.