05.10.2023, 09:48
The Japanese Defense Ministry will accelerate the acquisition of Tomahawk missiles by a year
Source: OREANDA-NEWS
OREANDA-NEWS Japan will accelerate the equipping of the self-defense forces with American Tomahawk missiles by a year - instead of fiscal year 2026 by 2025, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said during a visit to the United States.
"It is necessary to accelerate the creation of a stand-off system (missile defense, meaning the possibility of a retaliatory strike on enemy bases from a zone beyond its reach, including the Tomahawk - ed.), taking into account the very tough security situation," Kihara said at a press conference after meeting with the head of the Pentagon Austin.
Thus, the missiles will arrive in Japan not in 2026, as planned, but in 2025. However, this will not be the latest development, but the block-4 missiles of the previous generation, which are now in service with the United States.
Japan's intention to acquire Tomahawks was recorded in three security documents adopted last December: the "National Security Strategy", which defines the main directions of foreign policy in the field of defense; the "National Defense Strategy", which designates the goals and means of defense, and the "Defense Capability Plan" - it defines the total costs of defense and the scale of armaments.
The "National Security Strategy" and "National Defense Strategy" prescribe the possession of "retaliatory strike capabilities", implying the defeat of enemy bases. So far, these capabilities have been implied in Japan's right to self-defense, but not spelled out. In this sense, this change is a significant turn in Japan's defense policy.
"It is necessary to accelerate the creation of a stand-off system (missile defense, meaning the possibility of a retaliatory strike on enemy bases from a zone beyond its reach, including the Tomahawk - ed.), taking into account the very tough security situation," Kihara said at a press conference after meeting with the head of the Pentagon Austin.
Thus, the missiles will arrive in Japan not in 2026, as planned, but in 2025. However, this will not be the latest development, but the block-4 missiles of the previous generation, which are now in service with the United States.
Japan's intention to acquire Tomahawks was recorded in three security documents adopted last December: the "National Security Strategy", which defines the main directions of foreign policy in the field of defense; the "National Defense Strategy", which designates the goals and means of defense, and the "Defense Capability Plan" - it defines the total costs of defense and the scale of armaments.
The "National Security Strategy" and "National Defense Strategy" prescribe the possession of "retaliatory strike capabilities", implying the defeat of enemy bases. So far, these capabilities have been implied in Japan's right to self-defense, but not spelled out. In this sense, this change is a significant turn in Japan's defense policy.
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