This concerns the delivery of 400 Tomahawk missiles – important for Japan, among others. in the context of “deterring” China. The missiles have a range of 1,600 km, giving Japan the ability to potentially hit China's coast. Agreement worth USD 2.35 billion. was concluded after Washington urged its Asian ally to increase defense spending – reminds the Financial Times. The Tomahawks were scheduled to arrive in Japan by April 2028. Delays could extend the current delivery schedule by up to two years.
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US delays deliveries. 'Significant complications' for Japan
According to the FT, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told Shinjiro Koizumi, his Japanese counterpart, about the delays in early May. The Pentagon justifies this with the need to rebuild its own weapons stocks, which were seriously depleted during the conflict with Iran.
The announced delay is a serious blow to Japan, for which American Tomahawks are one of the main elements of its national security strategy and deterrence policy towards China.
Yuki Tatsumi, a Japanese defense expert at the Indo-Pacific Security Institute, told the FT that “the current plan is based on the assumption that Japan will receive this shipment on time, and ongoing changes [strategii] have the potential to further accelerate the acquisition of the Tomahawk.” He added that the weapon “is an integral part of Japan's efforts to enhance its deterrent capabilities.”
Kenji Minemura, an Asian defense expert from the Canon Institute for Global Studies, emphasized that the Tomahawks are crucial for Japan because Tokyo has almost no other weapons against more than 2,000. Chinese long-range missiles that can hit targets in Japan.
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According to analysts, there were already concerns that allies in Asia were not treated as a priority by the US. — Despite repeated promises by top administration officials to prioritize Asia, the Pentagon is currently giving priority to the Middle East, Zack Cooper, an Asia security expert at the American Enterprise Institute, told the FT. “Given the long timelines for munitions production, Asian allies and partners will feel the effects of the war with Iran long after it ends,” he added.
According to data from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the US fired over 1,000. Tomahawks from an estimated pre-war stock of over 3,000. pieces, during five weeks of military operations against Iran.
The Pentagon declined to comment to the Financial Times, as did the Japanese embassy in the US.
