Japan has signed a purchase agreement with the USA 400 Tomahawk missiles Enabling long-range strikes while increasing their military capacity to counter threats to regional security in view of the rise of China. China's growing military influence and a nuclear-armed North Korea were reasons for the Japanese government to change its national defense strategy, reflected in doubling military spending to reach the standard NATO 2% of GDP by 2027.
In November, Washington approved a sale worth up to $2.35 billion for two types of tomahawks that have a range of 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers), The Japan Times reports. Japan has approved a record $56 billion defense budget for the next fiscal year starting in April.
The archipelago has one pacifist post-war constitution that limits its army to ostensibly defensive measures. But as he updated key security and defense policies last year, he was thinking carefully about the challenge posed by China, which already has the world's largest navy.
At a news conference, U.S. Ambassador Rahm Emanuel praised Japan's new defense push. “As aggressors become increasingly bellicose, Japan is at the forefront of countries coming together to protect peace and prosperity by increasing the costs of aggression,” he said.
Last month, Tokyo eased arms export controls to allow Japanese Patriot missiles to be sold under license to the United States, which is seeking to replenish its stockpile after supplying the weapons systems to Ukraine.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense also announced that it had signed another agreement Contract with Norway's Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace for the acquisition of joint attack missiles from 2026 and that would have a range of around 500 kilometers.
Signs with Norwegian company Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace
Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace announced on December 1 that it had signed a follow-on contract to supply additional Joint Strike Missiles (JSM) to the Japanese fleet Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II.
Tokyo and Norway have signed several contracts in the past to supply Joint Strike Missiles (JSM) for the F-35A fighter fleet. Manufacturer Kongsberg describes the JSM as a “fifth-generation stealth air-to-surface missile” designed to fill the F-35A fighter’s gaps in anti-submarine warfare and ground attack.
The JSM is the only long-range missile for sea and land targets that the fifth-generation multi-role stealth fighter can carry internally, ensuring that the aircraft maintains its stealth characteristics. The company added that “the JSM has superior performance against well-defended sea and land targets at long range.”