US letting Japan build an advanced torpedo

The United States agreed to let Japan manufacture its own version of the most advanced torpedo in the US arsenal in a move to bolster defense of Pacific sea lanes, the Foreign Ministry said.

Ministry officials said Japan is the first American ally to be awarded a license to produce the MK46 MOD-5 high-speed, short-range, homing-type torpedo, which is carried by surface ships or antisubmarine aircraft.