Kyodo: Japanese Defense Minister Hamada announces plans to purchase Tomahawk missiles from the US

TOKYO, February 14 – RIA Novosti. Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada announced the authorities’ plans to sign a contract with the United States for the bulk purchase of Tomahawk cruise missiles. informs Kyodo agency.

According to him, the missile purchase will be made through the “foreign military aid” system, which is often used to procure US-made defense equipment. Officials hope the contract will be signed in fiscal 2023, which begins on April 1.

During a meeting with US President Joe Biden in January, Fumio Kishida conveyed Tokyo’s intention to acquire American Tomahawk cruise missiles. It is assumed that the Tomahawk missiles should be part of a program to increase the ability of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to respond to enemy bases. Prior to this, information appeared in the Japanese media that Japan intends to purchase up to 500 of these missiles from the United States by 2027.

In mid-December, Japan adopted three key documents on defense and security: the “National Security Strategy”, which defines the main directions of foreign policy in the field of defense; “National Defense Strategy”, which expresses the aims and means of defense; “Defense Plan” – determines the overall cost of defense and the scope of weapons.

The documents also show that Japan’s defense spending will rise to 2% of GDP by 2027. That’s about 11 trillion yen ($81 billion). Military spending in the current fiscal year 2022 (ending March 31, 2023) has reached 5.4 trillion yen ($40 billion), about 1.24% of GDP.