Tomahawks part of Japan’s record defense spending next year

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Cabinet has approved record defense spending next year in preparation for the country deploying U.S.-made Tomahawks and other long-range cruise missiles as part of a more offensive security strategy. The budget Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet approved Friday will surge to a record $55 billion, a 20% jump from this year. The security strategy announced last week aims for a “counterstrike capability” to preempt enemy attacks and would double Japan’s military spending in the next five years. Tomahawk missiles will be deployed starting in 2026 on naval destroyers and are capable of hitting targets in North Korea or China. Japan will also buy more foreign-developed missiles to launch from F-35A fighters and upgraded F-15s.