Japan’s efforts to boost its military capability and ease military equipment sales will enhance Indo-Pacific stability, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel said in a meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara on Wednesday.
According to Military.com, Emanuel lauded Tokyo’s recent approval of the shipments of Japanese-manufactured Patriot missiles to the United States to replenish its weapons inventory.
The ambassador noted that the weapons export is “really important for a system that’s under stress,” with the United States supplying the missile to Ukraine.
He also relayed U.S. appreciation of Japan’s increased defense spending and planned Tomahawk missile deployment, saying the efforts highlight a shift “from alliance protection to alliance projection.”
Emanuel noted that Tokyo will increase the country’s military spending over the next five years by about 60 percent or 2 percent of gross domestic product, The New York Times reported. Japan has advanced the first delivery of its first Tomahawk order from the United States to 2025 from 2026.