Japan Reaches Deal With US To Purchase Missiles

(USNewsBreak.com) – To say global tensions are on the rise would be something of an understatement. In the Middle East, the Israel-Hamas conflict has expanded to Lebanon, the Houthis are carrying out attacks in the Red Sea, and Iranian-backed groups are targeting American troops. The Russo-Ukraine war is approaching the two-year mark, North Korea is consistently carrying out nuclear tests, and China is adamant that it will regain Taiwan under its One-China policy. Amid all these tensions, some countries are looking to boost their military capabilities. In that vein, Japan and the US recently arrived at an agreement that would see the Asian nation purchase hundreds of missiles.

The accord occurred on January 18, when Japan’s Defense Minister, Minoru Kihara, signed a contract authorizing the country’s military to purchase up to 400 long-range Tomahawk Missiles from the US. In a press release, the Ministry of Defense said the deal was a means to “strengthen [Japan’s] stand-off defense capabilities,” allowing the nation “to disrupt and defeat” early invading forces or those acting at a distance. Observers expect the US to deliver the Tomahawks between fiscal years 2025 and 2027.

The original plan called for deliveries of the Tomahawks to begin in fiscal year 2026, but recent threats have propelled that forward by a year. In addition, Japan has pledged to increase its military spending to approximately $68 billion by 2027. That plan would put the Asian nation’s military expenditures on par for third in the world behind the United States and China.

Japan has signed a deal with the U.S. to purchase up to 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles as part of its ongoing military buildup in response to increased regional threats. https://t.co/smUWEUf5yT

— ABC News (@ABC) January 18, 2024

The US is no stranger to helping those in the Indo-Pacific region. South Korea, the Philippines, and Japan have all negotiated deals involving military technology and trade agreements. Japan is undoubtedly concerned about China’s increasing aggression in the region and Russia’s newfound kinship with North Korea as it pursues weapons to help in the Russo-Ukraine war.

The cooperation between North Korea and Russia has caused significant concern and recently sparked a meeting in Seoul. There, nuclear envoys from South Korea, Japan, and the US met to discuss the situation.