ISTANBUL

Japan's defense minister said Wednesday that Tokyo will start procuring Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US earlier than planned in response to growing security challenges in Asia.

Minoru Kihara made the remarks during his first face-to-face meeting with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Washington, D.C.

In preparation for acquiring counterstrike capabilities enabling the targeting of enemy bases if necessary, Japan intends to purchase 400 Tomahawk missiles, which have a strike range of around 1,600 kilometers (994 miles), Japan’s Kyodo News reported.

Although the two defense chiefs “shared the recognition” that the procurement of the Tomahawk Block-4 missiles would commence in fiscal year 2025, they refrained from formally labeling it an agreement as it still needs to be approved by the US Congress, according to a Japanese official.

Japan had originally planned to purchase the latest Tomahawk Block-5 missiles in fiscal 2026 and 2027 for deployment on Maritime Self-Defense Force Aegis destroyers.

Under the revised plan, it will acquire up to 200 of the previous version Tomahawk missiles between fiscal 2025 and fiscal 2027, while the rest of the purchase will consist of newer missiles delivered according to the original schedule.

Kihara emphasized that this schedule change would significantly bolster Japan's defense capabilities sooner.

The Japanese government has allocated 211.3 billion yen ($1.4 billion) in the fiscal 2023 budget for the missile procurement.

As a substantial portion of the missiles being acquired are of the older version, the adjustment is expected to reduce the overall procurement cost.