The Asian nation was planning to extend the range of the ground self-defense force's Type-12 guided missiles to 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) from the current 100-kilometer range in the fiscal year of 2026, but the country's defense ministry has ultimately decided to fast-track the deployment due an increasingly tense security situation in the region, the NHK broadcaster reported.
The ministry is yet to decide when exactly it will deploy the missiles, the broadcaster reported, adding, however, that the draft supplementary budget for the current fiscal year, which runs until March 31, 2024, provided for 152.3 billion yen (around $1 billion) for the development of the Type-12 missiles as well as high-speed glide weapons to defend Japan's remote southwestern islands.
Japan is also seeking to acquire 400 Tomahawk missiles from the United States, with 200 of them expected to be deployed starting in the fiscal year of 2025 that runs until late March, 2026, NHK reported.
In December 2022, the Japanese government approved three key defense documents, confirming its plans to increase military spending to 2% of GDP by 2027 and to allow retaliatory strikes on enemy bases.