Japan to spend $2 billion for purchasing US-made Tomahawk missiles To deter China and North Korea

Japan has set aside more than $2 billion to procure and deploy US-made Tomahawk missiles on its naval destroyers as part of a historic defence buildup to deter China and North Korea.

The spending is a part of the record-breaking defence budget, which totals 6.82 trillion yen ($51.4 billion) for the fiscal year beginning in April and was approved by the cabinet on December 23, writes Eurasian Times.

Tokyo announced last week that it would nearly double military spending over the next five years, marking one of the largest military buildups since the end of World War II.

In its most recent budget, Japan allotted around $10.6 billion to develop the capability to use missiles to strike military targets in enemy countries in the event of an attack. This represents a major shift in strategy meant to deter neighbouring nations from launching an offensive.

Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada said Japan might launch a counteroffensive before being hit by missiles or other weapons if it found that an adversary was planning an attack. According to some opposition politicians, if Japan incorrectly interprets an enemy’s objectives, it runs the possibility of unintentionally starting a conflict.

In August, China launched missiles into the water close to a few of Japan’s southern islands as part of a military display around Taiwan. North Korea fired a missile over Japan in October.

Tomahawk missiles will cost $1.6 billion, and $832 million will go toward technical support and training to ensure Japan’s Aegis destroyers can fire them. The Defence Ministry stated that the missile deployment is anticipated to start after spring 2026.

The ministry declared that the price of the missiles, which generally cost the US military roughly $1.7 million each, would be negotiated. It chose not to say how many missiles it wished to purchase.

Both the Pentagon and the company that makes the Tomahawks, Raytheon Technologies Corp, declined to comment on any future weapon sales.