Japan's Defense Minister Minoru Kihara signed a contract with the United States Ambassador Rahm Emanuel that allows the country to buy US-made missiles, Fox News reported on Thursday, citing officials familiar with the matter.
Sources said the deal involves the purchase of 400 US Tomahawk long-range missiles as the country aims to boost its military capabilities to deal with challenges to regional security.
Last year, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that Tokyo is looking into purchasing Tomahawk cruise missiles "to strengthen its self-defense capabilities." The deal was supposed to be finalized in fiscal 2023.