For the first time since easing of the rules for the export of military equipment, Japan will transfer to the United States its own PAC-3 interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense system, reports NHK, as quoted by Focus.
Previously, the export of any military equipment made in Japan was prohibited by local laws, the media recalled.
Last year, the country's government amended its defense export guidelines to allow the transfer of locally produced military equipment under license from foreign companies to the licensor's country. Since the PAC-3s are manufactured in Japan under license from the US corporation Lockheed Martin, their deliveries to the US comply with the new rules.
Japanese companies have been producing interceptor missiles for air defense systems, including the Patriot, for nearly two decades, but all have been handed over to the island nation's Self-Defense Forces. The current deal, concluded by the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo with the US side, is the first time that Japan has transferred military equipment in accordance with the revised guidelines.
Tokyo did not disclose how many interceptors would be sent to the US, noting only that the total value of the deal was about $19.5 million.
The report notes that the export to the US of Japanese-made PAC-3 missiles comes at a time when Washington is experiencing a shortage of such interceptors due to the transfer of a large number of missiles to Ukraine to defend against Russian attacks.