US Delays Japanese Order for Hundreds of Tomahawk Missiles - Bloomberg

In a significant development, the United States has announced a delay in the delivery of Japan's order for hundreds of Tomahawk missiles, which are vital to the country's new defense strategy. As reported by Bloomberg, citing its sources, Washington has informed Tokyo that the delivery of approximately 400 missiles ordered by Japan will not take place until March 2028.

The Tomahawk missiles are essential for Japan in the context of its new strategy aimed at enhancing the country's long-range strike capabilities in response to threats from China and North Korea. However, informed sources indicate that the U.S. is currently focused on meeting its own military supply needs for operations in Iran, which has led to the postponement of the Japanese order.

One source noted that during military operations in Iran, the U.S. has already utilized hundreds of Tomahawk missiles. Prior to the onset of the war, the U.S. had approximately 4,000 Tomahawk missiles in its arsenals, including both older models and anti-ship variants. RTX Corporation, which manufactures these missiles, produced around 100 new Tomahawks in 2025 and also upgraded about 240 older models to the latest Block V standard.

It is noteworthy that the expenditure on Tomahawk missiles during the war has surpassed two years of production. The order from Japan, signed in 2024 for $2.35 billion, became one of the largest foreign orders for the U.S. In March of this year, Japan's Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi reported that the country had received its first batch of Tomahawk missiles. However, according to two individuals familiar with the situation, the U.S. currently prioritizes meeting its military needs in the context of the conflict in Iran.

Koizumi and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Gersek held two phone conversations in mid-March, during which they discussed the situation in Iran. Official statements regarding these meetings did not mention the delivery of Tomahawk missiles, but sources claim that this issue was raised at least during one of the conversations.

Efforts to increase the production of Tomahawk missiles to 1,000, which is the new goal of the Pentagon in collaboration with RTX, may take several years. The U.S. Navy has requested only 57 missiles for this fiscal year. According to Bloomberg, since the 2021 fiscal year, the U.S. has purchased a total of 322 Tomahawks. In the 2019, 2024, and 2025 fiscal years, the Navy did not make any purchases of new Tomahawks, despite numerous military exercises highlighting the need for these missiles.

U.S. allies in Asia are already expressing concerns over the redeployment of American military assets to the Middle East. Approximately 3,500 Marines and sailors stationed in Japan have been sent to the Middle East for potential involvement in combat operations in the war with Iran.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, Japan planned to deploy American Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of 1,600 kilometers on the Japanese destroyer JS Chokai this year, and subsequently on seven other destroyers. However, Tokyo has now decided to deploy domestically produced long-range missiles in the southwestern part of the country.

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