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.

  • Cyborganism
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    9 months ago

    I swear, every nation is building up it’s was arsenal. We’re heading for another major world war. I’m pretty sure.

    I hope I’m wrong.

    • MrSpArkle
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      9 months ago

      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.

      • Cyborganism
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        9 months ago

        Especially when some countries don’t really care for international laws and treaties and do pretty much whatever they want.

    • Wahots@pawb.social
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      9 months ago

      China boned itself so hard with the one child policy that they are either going to have to do a great leap forward, import a bunch of people under an immigration policy, or go to war. I suspect it will be the last one. They have way too many old people, too few young women, and a ton of guys (but still not as much as the older folks). It’s gonna cause a massive problem as they are well below replacement rate, there are few women, and a ton of their working class is gonna retire with nobody to support them in the next 20- 30 years or so.

      Generally, immigration keeps a country stable, but they don’t really have much immigration.