The United States and Japan have agreed to establish a Japanese facility for the joint production of advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, the Japanese defense chief said. The announcement Wednesday is the latest action by the allies, who have repeatedly expressed alarm over China’s growing aggression in Asia. Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi made the announcement in a news conference late Wednesday in the central province of Cebu, where he met U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of an annual meeting of Southeast Asian defense chiefs and their major Asian and Western counterparts. The talks aim to avert a major regional conflict and strengthen defense cooperation.