Japan has allocated over $2 billion to acquire and utilize US-made Tomahawk missiles on its maritime destroyers as part of a historic defensive system accumulation to dissuade China and North Korea.
Tomahawk Missiles as Japan's Defense
An expense is indeed a part of the record-breaking military spending that totals 6.82 trillion yen ($51.4 billion) again for the financial year starting in April but was endorsed by the cabinet on December 23, reported EurAsian Times.
Tokyo declared last week it would well almost double military spending in the next five years, highlighting one of the largest military buildups ever since the end of World War II.
The most recent budget allotted roughly $10.6 billion to build the capacity to use missile systems to attack strategic targets in hostile nations in the case of an attack.It also represents a major shift in strategic approach meant to discourage surrounding countries from trying to launch an assault, noted Kyodo News.
Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said it might launch a counterattack before even being hit by missiles or other weapons if something discovered that such an adversary had been carrying out attacks.
According to a few opposition politicians, it runs the risk of unknowingly commencing a dispute if it incorrectly recognizes an enemy's aims.
Japan To Acquire US-Made Missiles
Throughout August, China carried out a military show around Taiwan by launching missiles into the sea, not far from a few of Japan's southern islands. In October, North Korea fired a missile over Japan, per NDTV.
The Defense Ministry would expend $832 million on technical training and support to ensure that Japan's Aegis warships could fire these missiles. Each missile will cost $1.6 billion.
The missile deployment has been presumed to initiate just after the spring of 2026, as stated by the Defense Ministry. The value of the missiles, which usually cost the US military approximately $1.7 million each, will be negotiated, as stated by the ministry. It refused to say how many missiles it wanted to purchase.
Tokyo To Build Tomahawk Missiles
These are precision weapons that can hit the target accurately in the airspace of enemies. These missile systems are launched from submarines and ships. The range of a cruise missile would be 1,000 miles. It can destroy structures and leave a crater blast about 20 feet, capable of carrying a conventional 1,000 lbs warhead.
A long-range attack cruise missile can fly at subsonic speed at low levels to avoid getting detected by radar. Capable of striking in deep enemy country. These weapons were used in places the US allegedly entered illegally, with about 4,000 of them. About 100 of them will be utilized for testing and training per year.
The main buyer, for now, is the UK, but Canberra is showing interest in buying the missile capable of getting fired by its subs.
Tokyo will spend $38 billion in five years to equip and deploy these weapons capable of attacking 1,000 kilometers away. Another plan is to increase the range of the relatively older missile system, but it will be ready in 2026 or later; Japan intends to have these Tomahawk missiles.