Trump asked Japan to help with Golden Dome missile shield, Nikkei reports

TOKYO: U.S. President Donald Trump discussed cooperating with Japan on developing technology for his planned Golden Dome missile defence shield during a phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba this month, the Nikkei reported.

AI Brief

Japan may partner with the US on a new missile defense system, boosting cooperation on threat interception.
Tokyo's involvement could help in securing concessions from the US in ongoing tariff negotiations.
Trump's US$175 billion "Golden Dome" project is set to be completed by 2029 and could cost over US$800 billion long-term.

The two countries are expected to work together on systems to intercept incoming threats, and Tokyo’s participation could serve as a bargaining chip for it to win concessions in ongoing tariff negotiations with Washington, the paper said, without citing its sources.

Trump this month said he had selected a design for the planned $175 billion defence shield and appointed U.S. Space Force General Michael Guetlein to head the project, which he wants to complete by the end of his term in 2029. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that Golden Dome could cost $831 billion over two decades.

Japan and the U.S. have previously collaborated on ballistic missile defence, including the joint development of an interceptor capable of striking warheads in space.