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| Japanese and US flags | Photo: Reuters |
The United States government has approved a $3.6 billion missile sale to longtime ally Japan. Washington said on Friday that it would sell more than 1,200 advanced air-to-air missiles and related equipment to Japan.
As Japan strengthens its security posture in the face of China's growing influence in the Asia-Pacific region and Tokyo's long-standing fears about North Korea, the Japanese government has sought to bolster its arsenal with assistance from its ally, the United States.
In a statement, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said the United States is committed to achieving its foreign and national security goals by strengthening the security, political stability, and economic progress of key allies in the Asia-Pacific region. And that is the purpose of the US missile sale to Japan.
The US State Department has approved the missile sale proposal. The DSCA has informed the US Congress of all relevant matters.