The Japanese government has made the decision to expedite its procurement of Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States, moving the timeline up to 2025 instead of 2026. This announcement was made by the Japanese public television, as reported by TASS. The agreement was reached between Japan’s new Defense Minister, Minoru Kihara, and the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, during their negotiations in Washington.
Japan plans to acquire 400 Tomahawk missiles, with half of them being the new Block V modification and the other half being the older Block IV. Kihara emphasized during the negotiations that the strategic cooperation between Japan and the US is at an unprecedented level and will be further strengthened in the future. In response, Austin stated that the security agreement between the two countries is “unbreakable” and applies to all territories under Japan’s administration, including the Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu Islands), which are subject to territorial disputes between Japan, the Republic of China, and the People’s Republic of China.
It was previously reported that Japan would sponsor an American microchip manufacturer with $1.3 billion. Additionally, China has expressed its concerns about US military supplies to Taiwan.
