To prevent China from employing military force in East Asia, Japan has given its largest defense equipment manufacturer, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, contracts totaling 378 billion yen ($2.84 billion).
Japan's Ministry of Defense said in a news release that it has awarded four contracts for the development of land, sea, and air-launched missiles, as well as a hypersonic ballistic warhead, for deployment beginning in 2026.
Japan revealed its largest military buildup since World War Two in December, pledging to increase defense expenditure over the next five years in response to Russia's war on Ukraine and rising worry that China may launch an attack on neighboring Taiwan.
Central to this strategy is the establishment of a new missile force with the potential to hit land and sea targets over 1,000 kilometers from Japan.
Before launching its own missiles, Japan said in February that it would purchase hundreds of Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US company Raytheon Technology Corp.
It has not yet said how many it plans to purchase, but rumors from the area suggest the number might top 500.
