Japan Officially Signs Contract For Tomahawk Cruise Missile Purchase
The Japanese government has officially signed a contract for the purchase of up to 400 Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles, part of Tokyo’s pursuit to bolster its long-range strike capabilities.
The signing of the Letter of Offer and Acceptance for the Tomahawk purchase was done at the Japanese ministry of defense building in Tokyo, with Japanese defense minister Minoru Kihara and United States ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel in attendance. The Asahi Shinbun quotes Emanuel as saying at the signing that training of Japanese Tomahawk operators will begin in March. In a statement issued after the signing, Emanuel said the “historic” signing is “a strategic win for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific”.
According to a Foreign Military Sale approval issued by the U.S. State Department in November, up to 200 Block V Tomahawks and 200 Block IV Tomahawks will be delivered in the sale. The total value of the sale is estimated at $2.35 billion, inclusive of other system hardware, support equipment and services.
While Tokyo had initially planned to purchase 400 Block Vs, the newest version of the Tomahawk, Kihara announced in October that a mix of Block Vs and IVs would be procured to accelerate missile deliveries by a year. Under the revised plans, the missile deliveries will begin in Japan’s fiscal year 2025, with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Aegis Combat System-equipped ships to receive Tomahawk launch capability.
The Tomahawks are being procured as an urgent interim measure to provide Japan’s Self-Defense Forces with long-range strike capabilities Tokyo deems critical amidst a worsening regional security situation. Tokyo officially describes the capabilities as long range “counterstrike” capabilities intended for use against concentrations of attacking hostile forces at long range, hostile command facilities, and hostile long-range missiles. Other programs being pursued under development of “counterstrike” capabilities include extended range versions of current Japanese air and ground-launched anti-shipping cruise missiles, and hypersonic weapons.