(Adnkronos) – Tomahawk missiles for a Japanese warship. The ship, CNN reports, has set sail for the US to be equipped with cruise missiles capable of hitting a target approximately 1,600 kilometers away, in what appears to be the latest move by Washington and its allies in Asia in the context of ‘rivalry’ with countries in the region such as China and North Korea.
The Aegis-equipped destroyer JS Chokai is sailing towards the US, where it will remain for about a year. During this period, modifications are planned to allow the use of Tomahawks, along with crew training. These are the same missiles that were ‘protagonists’ in the US raid in June when they were launched from a submarine against nuclear sites in Iran. For Tokyo, this is “defense,” but – CNN points out – the missiles are considered offensive weapons.
An agreement between Japan and the US to purchase up to 400 Tomahawks dates back to early last year. At the time, the Kyodo agency wrote that the goal was “to acquire the capability to strike enemy territory, with China and North Korea in mind.”
Last July, Tokyo raised the alarm over the rapid acceleration of military activity by the People’s Republic in vast areas from its southwestern coasts to the Pacific. Not to mention tensions around Taiwan and North Korea. China’s “military activities” and “other activities” are “a cause of great concern for Japan and the international community and represent an unprecedented strategic challenge, the largest-scale challenge” for Tokyo, as clearly stated in the ‘white paper’ “Defense of Japan 2025”. Contents that the Dragon’s Foreign Ministry immediately dismissed as false, accusing Tokyo of amplifying “the Chinese threat.”
Announcing the destroyer’s mission to the US, the Ministry of Defense – CNN concludes – reiterated that Japan’s Self-Defense Forces are strengthening their capabilities to “be able to intercept and eliminate invasion forces against Japan, quickly and over long range.” Tokyo hopes the destroyer, 160 meters and 9,500 tons, will be ready for missions by next summer.
