Current:Home > ScamsJapan signs agreement to purchase 400 Tomahawk missiles as US envoy lauds its defense buildup-VaTradeCoin
Japan signs agreement to purchase 400 Tomahawk missiles as US envoy lauds its defense buildup
View Date:2025-01-07 14:32:15
TOKYO (AP) — Japan signed a deal with the United States on Thursday to purchase up to 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles as part of its ongoing military buildup in response to increased regional threats.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government has pledged to double its annual defense spending to around 10 trillion yen ($68 billion) by 2027, which would make Japan the world’s third-biggest military spender after the United States and China.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara announced in December a decision to accelerate deployment of some Tomahawks and Japanese-made Type 12 surface-to-ship missiles beginning in fiscal year 2025, a year before the original plan. The government says Japan is facing its “severest” security environment since World War II because of threats from China and North Korea, causing it to increase military cooperation with the U.S., Australia, Britain and other friendly nations.
In November, the U.S. approved a $2.35 billion sale of two types of Tomahawks — 200 Block IV missiles and 200 upgraded Block V versions. They can be launched from warships and hit targets 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) away, officials said.
The signing of the purchase agreement on Thursday was attended by Kihara and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel.
Japan and the United States agreed to expedite the deployment “in response to the increasingly severe security environment,” Kihara said.
Emanuel said training of Japanese servicemembers for the Tomahawks will start in March.
Late last year, Japan’s Cabinet eased a ban on exports of lethal weapons, allowing the sale of Japanese-made weapons and components made under license from other nations to those countries. The government quickly approved a shipment of Japanese-made Patriot missiles to the United States to complement the U.S. inventory.
Japan is accelerating its deployment of long-range cruise missiles capable of hitting targets in China or North Korea, while Japanese troops increasingly work side-by-side with the U.S. and other friendly nations and take on more offensive roles.
At a news conference earlier Thursday marking the end of his second year in Tokyo, Emanuel lauded Japan’s rapid move during that time to build up its military and strengthen its alliance with the U.S. to meet challenges in the region.
Under a new defense strategy adopted in December 2022, Japan has joined the United States, Australia, South Korea and many other regional partners “in an aligned vision of how to promote peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and meet the challenges head on,” Emanuel said.
The U.S. approach to its partnership with Japan is “one of ensuring deterrence” and making sure there is no change in the region by military force, Emanuel said.
“There is a new Japan emerging, a more competent Japan,” he said.
veryGood! (71)
Related
- 32-year-old Maryland woman dies after golf cart accident
- North Carolina absentee ballots are being distributed following 2-week delay
- Kentucky judge allegedly killed by sheriff remembered for public service as residents seek answers
- US Naval Academy says considering race in admissions helps create a cohesive military
- As the transition unfolds, Trump eyes one of his favorite targets: US intelligence
- Sur La Table’s Anniversary Sale -- Up to 50% off on Staub & Le Creuset, Plus an Exclusive $19.72 Section
- NFL suspends Chargers' Pro Bowl safety Derwin James for one game
- Feds bust Connecticut dealers accused of selling counterfeit pills throughout the US
- NBA today: Injuries pile up, Mavericks are on a skid, Nuggets return to form
- See Christina Hall's Lavish Birthday Gift for Daughter Taylor's 14th Birthday
Ranking
- Former West Virginia jail officer pleads guilty to civil rights violation in fatal assault on inmate
- Chiefs RB Carson Steele makes his first NFL start on sister's wedding day
- Colorado grocery store mass shooter found guilty of murdering 10
- Former FTX executive Caroline Ellison faces sentencing
- Brands Our Editors Are Thankful For in 2024
- California bans all plastic shopping bags at store checkouts: When will it go into effect?
- Maryland’s Democratic Senate candidate improperly claimed property tax credits
- Nurse labor dispute at Hawaii hospital escalates with 10 arrests
Recommendation
-
Week 10 fantasy football rankings: PPR, half-PPR and standard leagues
-
71% Off Flash Deal: Get $154 Worth of Peter Thomas Roth Skincare for $43.98
-
Inside Octomom Nadya Suleman's Family World as a Mom of 14 Kids
-
Gunman who killed 10 at a Colorado supermarket found guilty of murder
-
Angels sign Travis d'Arnaud: Former All-Star catcher gets multiyear contract in LA
-
She exposed a welfare fraud scandal, now she risks going to jail | The Excerpt
-
Trump will attend Al Smith charity dinner that Harris is skipping to campaign in battleground state
-
GOLDEN BLOCK SERVICES PTY LTD