The military cooperation relationship between the governments of the United States and Japan is going through a moment of quiet but significant tension. In a regional context marked by the growing activity and military capabilities of the armed forces of China and North Korea, Tokyo is facing substantial delays in receiving weapons and military equipment purchased from Washington, with pending deliveries valued at close to US$6.9 billion, according to various official reports issued by Japan’s defense ministry.
Based on parliamentary audits that became public in recent days, Japan’s Self-Defense Forces have been affected by delays in the delivery of key military equipment, spare parts, and critical components, including those associated with aircraft and platforms used for vital surveillance tasks and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions along Japan’s maritime littoral. These delays are directly affecting operational planning and the modernization efforts Japan has been driving in recent years.
Accumulated delays and supply-chain problems
The issues appear to be linked, to a large extent, to structural problems in the U.S. defense industry, which is facing production bottlenecks, a shortage of qualified personnel, and high demand stemming both from domestic re-equipping needs and from military support to third countries. Added to this are the priorities Washington has assigned to other strategic commitments, particularly in Europe and the Middle East.
Specifically, among the affected items are essential components for maritime patrol aircraft and airborne early warning and control platforms such as the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. In some cases, the delays far exceed the timelines originally agreed in contracts covered under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.
In the specific case of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, it is the most modern version of the carrier-capable airborne early warning aircraft developed and produced by Northrop Grumman, and Japan is set to become one of its international operators. Following confirmation of the U.S. State Department authorization issued in March 2023, and after the Pentagon confirmed the awarding of production contracts in 2024, the United States has still not delivered the first aircraft to Japan’s Self-Defense Forces—impacting the renewal of this segment of Japan’s surveillance and early-warning capabilities in the Pacific.
Impact on Japan’s posture
Above all, these delays represent a sensitive challenge for Japan, which in recent years has steadily increased its defense budget and accelerated the acquisition of capabilities aimed at strengthening deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.
While Japanese authorities have not publicly questioned the alliance with the United States, the delays highlight Japan’s structural dependence on U.S. suppliers for sustaining critical capabilities, from aircraft and air-defense systems to sensors and ISR platforms.
Finally, this does not affect Japan alone. Various U.S. allies and partner countries have expressed similar concerns about delays in the delivery of military materiel, raising questions about the ability of the U.S. defense industry to respond simultaneously to multiple large-scale strategic demands.
Photographs used for illustrative purposes.
You may also like: U.S. Air Force F-35A stealth fighters deployed in Japan form the first line of deterrence in the Indo-Pacific
