Japan is seeking to buy hundreds of U.S.-built Tomahawk cruise missiles, as rising tensions with China and North Korea as well as the war in Ukraine convince the government it needs to boost security.
TOKYO — Alarmed by increasing security threats and the risk of war in the Indo-Pacific, Japan will seek to purchase hundreds of U.S.-built Tomahawk cruise missiles as part of a major defense buildup unprecedented in the postwar period, Japanese and U.S. officials said.The missile buy would boost Japan’s long-range strike capability and mark a stunning break with a long tradition of eschewing offensive weapons.
The decision to buy hundreds of Tomahawks — 400 to 500 by some accounts — will put China and North Korea on notice that Japan is serious about self-defense, and that the bilateral alliance — arguably the most significant militarily in the region — is growing stronger in the face of threats from Beijing and Pyongyang, officials said.
For the Japanese, the war in Ukraine has made a Chinese invasion of Taiwan appear much more possible, deepening the public’s concern over Japan’s military readiness in the event of a regional conflict.In August, after U.S.
Japan plans to reconfigure existing vertical launch systems on its destroyers to accommodate the Tomahawks, officials said. The Tomahawks were a top choice because they are “combat proven long-range fires,”The Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles, or TLAMs, are Japan and the United States already cooperate closely in military technology, former officials noted. The Japanese fly the F-35 fighter jet and use the Aegis missile defense system, both built by U.S. contractor Lockheed Martin. They run joint ballistic missile defense exercises at sea, including a successful one last month off Hawaii.
“Japan needs to earnestly reflect on its history of aggression, respect the security concerns of Asian neighbors, act prudently in the field of military security, and do more things that are conducive to regional peace and stability,” Mao said.
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