Japan will use "Tomahawk" missiles to deter neighboring countries.

According to Japanese media reports, on August 29, the Ministry of Defense announced that it would request an estimate for the defense budget for fiscal year 2026, which reached 8.8454 trillion yen, the largest budget in history. Among them, 1.2 billion yen is requested for renovation costs to add the launch capability of the U.S.-made cruise missile "Tomahawk" on the Aegis destroyers of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Specifically, the third "Kagoshima" class destroyer and the first "Mogami" class destroyer "Mogami" will be the target ships next year.

According to a source from the Ministry of Defense, this year three ships were targeted: the second ship of the "Kongō" class destroyer "Kirishima", the fourth ship of the same type "Chokai", and the second "Maya" class destroyer "Hachiro". For the renovation cost, 1.8 billion yen was recorded in this year's budget.

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has a total of 8 Aegis destroyers at each base in Yokosuka (Kanagawa Prefecture), Maizuru (Kyoto Prefecture), and Sasebo (Nagasaki Prefecture). In order not to affect the operation of each ship, we are gradually adding Tomahawk launch capabilities to all Aegis destroyers using the opportunity of regular maintenance, starting with the "Chokai" stationed at the Sasebo base.

Japan plans to purchase up to 400 Tomahawks, with a range of about 1,600 kilometers, which will be delivered from the United States this fiscal year. The Tomahawk serves as the cornerstone of Japan's counterattack capability, with a range of approximately 1,600 kilometers, and if launched from the surrounding waters of Japan, North Korea and China will be within its range.

In addition, the current 8 Aegis destroyers of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force are as follows.

Kongō class: a total of 4 ships

DDG-173 "Kongō"

DDG-174 "Kirishima"

DDG-175 "Kiyomizu"

DDG-176 "Chokai"

Mogami class: a total of 2 ships

DDG-177 "Mogami"

DDG-178 "Hakone"

Maya class: a total of 2 ships

DDG-179 "Maya"

DDG-180 "Hachiro"

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841884964366336/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.