Japan signed a deal with the United States on Thursday to purchase up to 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles as part of its ongoing military buildup in response to increased regional threats.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government has pledged to double its annual defense spending to around 10 trillion yen ($68 billion) by 2027, which would make Japan the world’s third-biggest military spender after the United States and China.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara announced in December a decision to accelerate deployment of some Tomahawks and Japanese-made Type 12 surface-to-ship missiles beginning in fiscal year 2025, a year before the original plan. The government says Japan is facing its “severest” security environment since World War II because of threats from China and North Korea, causing it to increase military cooperation with the U.S., Australia, Britain and other friendly nations.
It’s the opposite actually. Everyone got the Ukraine memo. If you don’t have nukes or modern weaponry, another country can and will invade.
The success of the modern weapons Ukraine have been receiving is also proof that in case of invasion you want these weapons immediately deployable, not delayed until your aggressor has laid minefields and trenches across your territory, and not with strings attached wherein you can’t actually hit your aggressors territory.
Especially when some countries don’t really care for international laws and treaties and do pretty much whatever they want.