The Defense Ministry plans to equip the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF)'s Aegis destroyer Chokai with a function to launch U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles, according to sources.

The ministry has requested ¥1.8 billion ($12.3 million) for the plan under the government's fiscal 2025 budget.

The Chokai, deployed at the MSDF's Sasebo base in Nagasaki Prefecture, will be the first Japanese Aegis destroyer equipped with a counterstrike capability. The government's National Security Strategy stipulates a policy for the country to possess counterstrike capabilities.