Yokosuka, Japan – In a rousing address to thousands of U.S. sailors and Japanese Self-Defense Forces personnel aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington, President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday the approval of the first shipment of advanced missiles for Japan's F-35 fighter jets, underscoring a renewed commitment to bolstering the Indo-Pacific alliance against rising regional threats. The move, delivered ahead of schedule, arrives just days after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's election as the nation's first female leader, marking a pivotal moment in bilateral ties as both nations confront an assertive China and North Korea's provocations.
"I'm delighted to report that I've just approved the first batch of missiles," Trump declared, his voice booming over the carrier's flight deck under a crisp autumn sky. The USS George Washington, homeported at the U.S. Navy's Yokosuka base south of Tokyo, served as a dramatic backdrop, with F-35 Lightning II jets parked nearby and the Stars and Stripes fluttering alongside Japan's rising sun flag. Trump, on the second leg of a three-nation Asia tour following stops in South Korea and ahead of a high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Malaysia, emphasized the delivery's speed: "The missiles will arrive this week, so they're ahead of schedule."
The shipment includes AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) and AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles, both precision-guided systems integral to the F-35's beyond-visual-range combat capabilities. These U.S.-made armaments, produced by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, enhance Japan's ability to integrate seamlessly with American forces under the 1960 U.S.-Japan Mutual Defense Treaty. The approval, part of a broader $2.8 billion arms package greenlit by the State Department earlier this year, reflects Trump's push for allies to shoulder more defense burdens while accelerating transfers of cutting-edge technology. Analysts view this as a direct response to Beijing's military buildup, including its expansion of hypersonic weapons and carrier fleet, which has heightened tensions over Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Trump's remarks quickly pivoted to a hallmark theme of his second presidency: unassailable American military superiority. "From now on, if we're in a war, we're going to win the war. We're going to win it like nobody ever before," he proclaimed, drawing cheers from the uniformed crowd assembled on the carrier's vast hangar bay. He extolled the U.S. Navy's dominance, noting that "no navy comes even close" to its global reach, with 11 aircraft carriers compared to China's three operational ones. "America makes the best equipment, ammunition, weapons, missiles, and planes. There's no military like our military, not even close. Nobody has our weapons, and it'll be stronger and more powerful than ever before very soon."
Yet, in a nod to the human element, Trump tempered his hardware-focused rhetoric with praise for the troops themselves. "If you don't have the right people to operate those weapons, they don't mean much," he said, acknowledging the over 50,000 U.S. service members stationed across Japan – the largest overseas contingent anywhere in the world. This forward presence, centered at bases like Yokosuka and Okinawa, underpins the treaty's promise of collective defense, where an attack on one is treated as an attack on both. Trump's words resonated amid ongoing debates in Tokyo over host-nation support costs, which Japan has agreed to increase to $2.2 billion annually starting next year.
Flanking Trump was Prime Minister Takaichi, whose presence symbolized a generational shift in Japanese leadership. Elected just a week prior on October 21, 2025, as the head of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and confirmed by parliament, Takaichi shattered Japan's political glass ceiling as the country's first female prime minister. A protegee of the late Shinzo Abe, whose 2012-2020 tenure redefined Japan's security posture, Takaichi has long advocated for a more muscular defense policy. Her rapid ascent followed the resignation of Shigeru Ishiba amid LDP scandals and electoral setbacks, forcing a realignment with the hawkish Japan Innovation Party to secure a governing coalition.
Taking the podium after Trump, Takaichi pledged to elevate the U.S.-Japan partnership "to even greater heights," calling it the "greatest" alliance in history. "We will proactively contribute to peace and stability in the wider Asia-Pacific region," she affirmed, invoking the USS George Washington as a "symbol of protecting freedom and peace in the region." Echoing Abe's vision of a "free and open Indo-Pacific," Takaichi vowed to "carry forward the same resolve" in an era she described as an "unprecedented, severe security environment." This includes countering China's gray-zone tactics in the East China Sea and North Korea's barrage of missile tests, which exceeded 100 launches in 2025 alone.
Central to her agenda is a dramatic acceleration of Japan's defense investments. In her inaugural policy speech to parliament last Friday, Takaichi committed to raising spending to 2% of GDP – roughly 12 trillion yen ($78 billion) annually – two years ahead of the previous 2027 target set under former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. This historic shift, funded partly through a supplementary budget exceeding 13.9 trillion yen tied to economic stimulus, marks Japan's departure from its postwar 1% cap, aligning it closer to NATO standards. "We will fundamentally reinforce our defense capabilities with unwavering determination and action," she stated, outlining revisions to Japan's National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy, and Defense Buildup Program by year's end to incorporate emerging threats like drone swarms and cyber warfare.
The announcement elicited mixed reactions at home. Supporters hail it as essential for deterrence, especially given intelligence assessments predicting a potential Chinese move on Taiwan by 2027, which could draw Japan into conflict due to proximity and shared interests. Critics, including opposition Constitutional Democratic Party leader Yoshihiko Noda, warn of fiscal strain on an economy grappling with 2.5% inflation and stagnant wages, potentially exacerbating Japan's 250% debt-to-GDP ratio. Takaichi counters that "proactive" spending will spur growth, generating tax revenues without hikes, a stance rooted in her admiration for Margaret Thatcher's supply-side economics.
Tuesday's carrier event capped a whirlwind day for the leaders, who earlier signed a bilateral framework on rare earth minerals at Tokyo's Akasaka Palace, addressing U.S. vulnerabilities exposed by China's export curbs. Trump lauded Takaichi as "one of the great prime ministers," while she reciprocated by nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize – a gesture echoing her mentor Abe's ill-fated 2019 bid. The personal rapport, built on shared conservative ideologies, contrasts with frictions during Trump's first term, when he pressed Tokyo for $8 billion in annual host fees.
Broader context frames this as part of Trump's "America First" recalibration of alliances. Since his January 20, 2025, inauguration as the 47th president, Trump has issued over 210 executive orders, many echoing Project 2025 blueprints for streamlining defense procurement and slashing regulations. Arms sales to allies like Japan have surged 25% year-over-year, per Pentagon data, funding domestic jobs while deterring adversaries. Yet, whispers in diplomatic circles suggest Trump may seek concessions on trade imbalances, with the U.S. eyeing Japan's 2.5% tariff on American autos.
Regionally, the overture ripples through tense waters. Beijing's state media decried the missile deal as "provocative," while Seoul welcomed it as a bulwark against Pyongyang's Hwasong-19 ICBM tests. For Japan, hosting 147 F-35s by 2027 – the world's second-largest fleet after the U.S. – the missiles enable "integrated air and missile defense" exercises like Keen Sword, simulating island recapture scenarios.
As Trump departed Yokosuka for Malaysia, the carrier's crew saluted a partnership forged in World War II's ashes, now reforged in high-tech steel. Takaichi, facing a December budget battle and 71% approval ratings, positions this as her "Abe 2.0" legacy: assertive, allied, and armored for tomorrow's storms. In an era of flux, the echo of Trump's vow lingers: "We're going to win it like nobody ever before."
