Japan to equip self-defence forces with US Tomahawk missiles by 2026
Japan will acquire Tomahawk missiles by fiscal 2026, according to three key defence and security documents approved by the national government on Friday, Kyodo News Agency reported.
The three documents are the National Security Strategy, which defines the main directions of foreign defence policy, the National Defence Strategy, which outlines defence objectives and means, and the Defence Capability Plan – it defines overall defence spending and scale of armaments.
The three documents outline an increase in Japan’s defence spending to the level of 2 per cent of GDP. Earlier, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida outlined a goal of increasing defence spending to 2% of GDP by 2027. This amounts to about 11 trillion yen ($81 billion). Military spending in the current fiscal year 2022 is 5.4 trillion yen ($40 billion), about 1.24% of GDP.
The National Security Strategy and National Defence Strategy spell out the possession of “retaliatory strike capability”, implying the defeat of enemy bases. Up until now, these capabilities have been implicit in Japan’s right to self-defence, but not prescribed. In that sense, this change represents a significant shift in Japan’s defence policy.
Previously, it was reported that Japan is modifying the so-called “Type 12 anti-ship missiles” as part of a programme to develop stand-off missiles that can hit enemies from beyond their range to strengthen its “defence retaliatory capability. They are meant to be a replacement for the US Aegis Ashore ground-based missile defence system, which Japan gave up on in 2020 because of the threat of its boosters dropping on residential areas. The possibility of equipping destroyers, fighters and submarines with them is being discussed.
The modified missiles will be able to hit targets at ranges of more than 1,000 kilometres. The missiles’ high range after modification will make it possible to engage targets in the territory of China or North Korea, if necessary. However, they will not be fielded by 2026 at the earliest. The Japanese government has therefore begun considering the possibility of acquiring Tomahawk missiles to strengthen its defence and deterrence forces during that period.
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