Japan’s defense minister said this week that his country is expediting the timeline on which it is purchasing Tomahawk missiles from the U.S., furthering Tokyo’s “drastic” defense buildup and development of counterstrike capabilities.
Defense minister Minoru Kihara made the announcement about the U.S. missiles after he met with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon on Wednesday, according to Kyodo News. Kihara told reporters that moving up the acquisition timeline would “contribute to the drastic strengthening of our country’s defense capabilities sooner.”
Kihara’s trip to Washington followed a cabinet shakeup in September that saw him appointed to the defense post. He’s leading the defense ministry as Japan pursues a large defense buildup in response to its neighbors’ recent saber-rattling.
The Japanese government views itself as sitting directly on the front line of a concerted effort by China, Russia, and North Korea to upend global order.
Last month, the defense ministry published a map featuring recent military exercises and provocations taken by each of those authoritarian regimes in recent months. “The international community is facing the greatest post-war trial yet,” read a caption accompanying the graphic.
Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida initially announced the plans to acquire 400 Tomahawks, which are typically launched from ships and submarines, in February. According to the plan, Japan would begin to acquire the Tomahawks in 2026 and 2027.
But a Japanese official told Kyodo that Austin and Kihara agreed that the acquisition, which needs to be approved by Congress, should instead begin in April 2025.
Following the meeting, the Pentagon said that Austin had “reiterated his support for Japan’s decision to strengthen its defense, including its acquisition of counterstrike capabilities and increase in defense spending, following his December 2022 statement welcoming Japan’s 2022 National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy, and Defense Buildup Program.”
Japan’s defense buildup has come with a massive boost in military spending, with the goal of hitting 2 percent of GDP by 2027. The defense ministry requested over $50 billion for the coming year, according to Reuters.
Kishida said in New York last month that “Russian aggression against Ukraine was history’s turning point that ended the post–Cold War period,” warning that this is “a challenge that extends beyond Europe to the entire world.”