Japan's government intends to sign a large contract with the U.S. for the purchase of Tomahawk cruise missiles. Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters Tuesday.

"We intend to conclude a massive purchase contract," he was quoted as saying by Kyodo News Agency. Hamada did not specify the exact number of missiles the Japanese side intends to buy. According to the agency, the plan is to purchase about 500 Tomahawk missiles in fiscal year 2023 (beginning April 1).

It is planned to allocate 211.3 billion yen (about $1.6 billion) for this purpose. The deployment of the missiles on warships is scheduled to begin in 2026 and be completed in 2027, the Sankei Shimbun newspaper reported Tuesday.

On December 16, 2022, the Japanese government approved a new national security strategy, which is a fundamental document of defense policy. In particular, it spells out the right to launch counterstrikes against targets on the territory of a potential enemy. But preventive strikes on the territory of a potential adversary are not allowed.

The strategy prescribes an almost twofold increase in defense spending by 2027, to 2 percent of GDP (on the model of NATO). As part of its development of counterattack capabilities, Japan plans to increase the range of its Type 12 missiles to 1,000 kilometers. Their deployment on land is expected to begin from fiscal year 2026, on ships from 2028, and on aircraft from fiscal year 2030.