Tokyo Reportedly Mulling Buying US Tomahawk Cruise Missiles
In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) fires a Tomahawk land attack missile Saturday, April 14, 2018, as part of the military response to Syria’s alleged use of chemical weapons on April 7. 
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Japanese government is considering the procurement of US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles, Japanese broadcaster reported on Friday.According to the report, Tokyo is exploring the possibility of using Tomahawk missiles as a deterrent and an alternative until “standoff” missiles that can attack targets from beyond the enemy range are fully deployed.Tokyo regards Tomahawk missiles as highly reliable because the US forces have been using them in operations for quite a long time, as per the resport. The Japanese government is expected to work closely with the ruling parties and the United States so that the deal could be struck.
Japan Plans to Develop Tomahawk-Like Missiles With Range of 1,200 Miles, Reports Say29 December 2020, 05:19 GMTTokyo is currently modernizing the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Type-12 Surface-to-Ship Missile System and is planning to begin large-scale production of these “standoff” missiles, with the first deployment being scheduled for the fiscal year of 2026, or later, the report said. Modernized missiles will be able to strike targets at a range of some 1,000 kilometers (621 miles).Tokyo is also planning to enhance the Self-Defense Forces’ capability for the mass-transport of military personnel and supplies in case of an escalation in the Taiwan Strait. Thus, the government is considering increasing the number of contracted civilian ships from the current two to around six.On September 1, the Japanese Defense Ministry announced that it requested a record-high military budget for 2023 of almost 5.6 trillion yen ($41.4 billion). This sum only contains the costs that the ministry was prepared to disclose. Experts and media believe that the actual requested budget stands at 6.5 trillion yen. Japan’s defense budget for 2022 is 5.4 trillion yen, which was also a record high.Media reported earlier that the undisclosed part of the budget includes “standoff” missiles with the allocation of over 30 billion yen for their development – the most costly item in this year’s budget.