>The Japanese government plans to upgrade all eight of its Aegis destroyers by fiscal 2027 so that they can be installed with Tomahawk cruise missiles purchased from the United States, a government source said Saturday.
>The move is intended to enable Japan to launch long-range missiles from various locations as the country seeks to develop capabilities that can strike targets inside an adversary’s territory, amid North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats and China’s military rise.
>According to the source, Japan plans to acquire the latest Tomahawk Block-5 missiles with a range of about 1,600 kilometers.
>Currently, two Maritime Self-Defense Force ships equipped with the Aegis missile defense system are stationed at the Yokosuka naval base in Kanagawa Prefecture.
>Two others are based at Maizuru base in Kyoto Prefecture and the remaining four at the Sasebo base in Nagasaki Prefecture.
>Japan’s newest class Aegis destroyers are equipped with a vertical launching system that can load up to 96 missiles. But they are unlikely to be equipped with just the Tomahawks as the ships are also assigned to intercept ballistic missiles.
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Excerpt from the linked content:^1
>The Japanese government plans to upgrade all eight of its Aegis destroyers by fiscal 2027 so that they can be installed with Tomahawk cruise missiles purchased from the United States, a government source said Saturday.
>The move is intended to enable Japan to launch long-range missiles from various locations as the country seeks to develop capabilities that can strike targets inside an adversary’s territory, amid North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats and China’s military rise.
>According to the source, Japan plans to acquire the latest Tomahawk Block-5 missiles with a range of about 1,600 kilometers.
>Currently, two Maritime Self-Defense Force ships equipped with the Aegis missile defense system are stationed at the Yokosuka naval base in Kanagawa Prefecture.
>Two others are based at Maizuru base in Kyoto Prefecture and the remaining four at the Sasebo base in Nagasaki Prefecture.
>Japan’s newest class Aegis destroyers are equipped with a vertical launching system that can load up to 96 missiles. But they are unlikely to be equipped with just the Tomahawks as the ships are also assigned to intercept ballistic missiles.
^1 Kyodo, 25 Mar. 2023, https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/03/5576a551e674-japan-eyes-upgrading-aegis-ships-with-tomahawk-missiles-by-fy-2027.html
How about they eye lowering taxes instead 👀 🤔