The Japanese government intends to conclude a contract in fiscal year 2023 (beginning April 1, 2023) for the purchase of Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US, Report informs referring to TASS.
The process of deploying missiles on the territory of the country may begin in fiscal year 2026, but earlier dates are also being considered at the moment. The haste of the Japanese authorities in this matter is due to the increase in the military potential of China and North Korea.
On December 16, 2022, the Japanese government approved a new national security strategy, which is the fundamental document of the country’s defense policy. In particular, it features the right to launch counterattacks on targets on the territory of a potential enemy. At the same time, it states that inflicting preventive strikes on the territory of the alleged enemy is not allowed.
The strategy also spells out an almost double increase in defense spending by 2027, to 2% of GDP, that is, following the NATO model. As part of the development of counterattack capabilities, Japan plans to increase the range of its existing Type 12 missiles and purchase the US Tomahawk cruise missiles.