Japan accelerates purchase of Tomahawk missiles from the US amid growing threats in Asia
Given the deteriorating security situation in Asia, Japan decided to purchase Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States a year earlier. This was stated by Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara after a meeting with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin, according to the Japanese edition of Kyodo News.
This decisive step was driven by the need to confront challenges from China, North Korea, and Russia. Japan will spend $1.6 billion to purchase 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of approximately 1,600 km. Although the purchase is yet to be approved by the US Congress, both parties have already confirmed their intentions.
Initially, it was planned to buy the newer Tomahawk Block-5 missiles in 2026-2027, but now Japan will buy up to 200 previous versions of the missiles (Block-4) between 2025 and 2027.
While discussing the details of the agreement, the Japanese and US defense ministers also emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation between the two countries and support Ukraine in its resistance to Russian aggression. U.S. Defense Secretary Austin expressed readiness for even closer cooperation with Kihara to counter threats in the region.
The acquisition of Tomahawk will cost the Japanese budget almost $2.5 billion. This is due to the need to modernize ships that will carry cruise missiles. To achieve the goal, Japan will allocate another $832 million.
Also, let’s not forget about the desire of the Land of the Rising Sun to build two additional Aegis ships. In addition to the Tomahawk, they will be armed with SM-3 and SM-6 anti-aircraft missiles and laser weapons. The project will cost $2.6 billion.
