Tokyo: Tokyo plans to ink a deal with Washington to buy some 500 Tomahawk cruise missiles in fiscal 2023 for possible use in a counterstrike against enemy missile bases, Japanese officials said Tuesday.

The Japanese government expects to procure the U.S.-made missiles under the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program for the provision of military equipment for the U.S. military.

Japan plans to spend 211.3 billion yen to buy the missiles under its fiscal 2023 draft budget.

“We’ll make a bulk contract and acquire all the required number,” Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada told a news conference.

He did not disclose the exact number of Tomahawk missiles to be procured, saying that such disclosure would reveal part of Japan’s defense capabilities.

According to the ministry, the Tomahawk has a range of about 1,600 kilometers. The country will procure the latest model, used by the U.S. military.

The government aims to start deploying Tomahawk missiles on Aegis ships of the Maritime Self-Defense Force in fiscal 2026 and complete the deployment in fiscal 2027.

The ministry is working to extend the range of domestically produced Type 12 surface-to-ship missiles to boost Japan’s counterstrike capabilities, aiming to put them to practical use in fiscal 2026.

But the government has decided to procure Tomahawk missiles in bulk in case of a possible delay in the development of the longer-range missiles, officials said.

JIJI Press