Japan seeks to buy up to 500 Tomahawk missiles
Tokyo: Japan’s Defence Ministry is considering purchases of up to 500 US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles by fiscal 2027 as it seeks to accelerate preparations for the possession of counterattack capabilities, sources said.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida confirmed the plan to advance purchase negotiations during a summit with US President Joe Biden on November 13, according to several US and Japanese government sources.
A Tomahawk cruise missile launched during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.Credit:AP
The Liberal Democratic Party and its junior ruling coalition partner Komeito have agreed on Japan possessing counterattack capabilities that could destroy an enemy’s missile launch sites and other targets for self-defence purposes.
They are in the process of finalising the National Security Strategy which is to be revised by the end of the year and is expected to clearly stipulate the possession of weapons such as these missiles.
One concrete means of counterattack capability envisioned is the Ground Self-Defence Force’s Type 12 surface-to-ship missile, which needs to be upgraded to have a longer range. The improved missile is unlikely to be deployed until fiscal 2026 or later.
In light of factors such as North Korea’s rapid progress in missile launch technology, Japan estimates that it will need to possess up to 500 Tomahawk missiles. The number could fluctuate depending on US manufacturing capacity and other issues.
With the creation of the AUKUS framework for security cooperation between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States in September last year, Washington has promised to sell the missiles to Canberra as well.
During the Japan-US summit in Phnom Penh on November 13, Kishida put the Tomahawk issue on the agenda, expressing to Biden his determination to drastically strengthen defence capabilities, the sources said.
Biden expressed his recognition that Japan is a high-priority purchaser of defence equipment, and underlined his intention to steadily move forward with procedures in the United States for the sale to proceed.
The United States has strictly limited the sale of the Tomahawk missiles, which have proven their combat effectiveness in various battles since the US military deployed them in the Gulf War in 1991.
According to the US Defence Department, the United Kingdom purchased 65 Tomahawk missiles in 2014 for US$140 million ($206 million).
The Tomahawk missile is the US military’s mainstay precision-guided cruise missile. With a range of more than 1250 kilometres, it is capable of pinpointing targets by utilising GPS location data.
Washington Post
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