(Washington Composite Electric) Japan's new defense ministers Muhara Kyoko Murahara Hiroshi held face -to -face talks with US Defense Chief Austin in Washington Pentagon on Wednesday (October 4).The two sides agreed to introduce the Tomahawk cruise missile into Japan in fiscal 2025.
The Japanese government originally plans to purchase 400 latest Tomahawk cruise missiles from 2026, and it will now be purchased from 2025, of which about 200 are old -fashioned missiles.The military purchase of more than 1.3 billion US dollars (about 1.78 billion yuan) must be approved by the US Congress.
It is known that Tomahawk will be carried on the Zezu Ship of the Japanese Maritime Self -Defense Force.Tomahawk's attack range is about 1,600 kilometers, which can be launched from warships or submarines. It will become one of the most powerful weapons of Japanese weapon Curry.
This is the first face -to -face talks between Muyuan and Austin.After the talks, Mu Yuan told the media that due to the increasingly severe safety environment, "we think it is necessary to implement the missile procurement plan for one year in advance."
The two defense ministers held a talk for nearly an hour, and a joint statement issued after the meeting said that Muyuan and Austin agreed to strengthen the United States and Japan, including cooperating with cooperation to make effective counterattacks.Japan has promised to increase national defense expenses to 2 % of GDP (GDP) and establish a counterattack capacity.
Austin told Muyuan at the meeting that this is the historic moment of the US -Japan Alliance, "the strategic alliance between our two countries is unprecedentedly strong."
He showed that the United States has not shaken the "extension deterrence" of Japanese defense in terms of combat power including nuclear weapons.
Muyuan just served as the Defense Director before the three -year period. He visited Washington for the first time this week and met the US National Security Consultant Shalv earlier on Wednesday.
The two defense ministers reiterated the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Pacific of India.The two parties confirmed that the Shougang island (China is known as the Diaoyu Islands) is a applicable object of Article 5 of the Japan -US Security Treaty.
In response to North Korea's nuclear missile threats, the two defense ministers confirmed that they will promote the third -sided defense cooperation between Japan, the United States and South Korea, including the real -time sharing of North Korean missile early warning data at the end of this year.
As for the Russian and Ukraine War, Japan -US Defense Director reiterated that the two countries would continue to support Ukraine. They pointed out that Russia's invasion of Ukraine shakes the foundation of the international order including Asia, which is completely unacceptable.As China continues to increase military activities, including cooperation with Russia, the United States and Japan agrees to strengthen cooperation than ever before.
On August 21, Australian Defense Minister Marce announced that it would spend more than 200 Tomahawk cruise missiles for $ 1.3 billion (about $ 1131 million).He said the missiles will be deployed on the Royal Hobart destroyer.
Australia said that because China is undergoing the largest military reserve construction since the end of World War II, Australia must strengthen the new situation of national defense forces.
