A Tomahawk cruise missile launched from the USS Florida, an Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, during Giant Shadow in the waters off the coast of the Bahamas is seen in this handout image released by the U.S. Navy Visual News Service. March 19, 2011. AFP-Yonhap
The United States approved Japan's request to buy 400 Tomahawk missiles, Fruday, part of Tokyo's bid to bolster its defenses despite fresh dialogue with China.
The State Department said it was approving the $2.35 billion sale that includes two types of the Tomahawk missile, which have a 1,600-kilometer (995-mile) range.
The State Department said the sale was aimed at "improving the security of a major ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific region."
The sale "will improve Japan's capability to meet current and future threats by providing a long-range, conventional surface-to-surface missile with significant standoff range that can neutralize growing threats," it said in a statement.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told a parliamentary committee in February that his government was seeking 400 Tomahawk missiles as part of a major defense push.
Japan has been alarmed by China's growing military clout, including its exercises around Taiwan, as well as by nuclear-armed North Korea's missile tests.
The missile deal is going ahead despite dialogue with China aimed at easing tensions.
Chinese President Xi Jinping met separately recently on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in San Francisco with Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden. (AFP)
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