Source SCMP

HONG KONG, SAR: Japan’s order for hundreds of Tomahawk missiles from the US is under threat as the American-Israeli war with Iran burns through inventories, the latest example of how the conflict is drawing in supplies and troops at the expense of defending against Washington’s primary strategic rival, China.

Tomahawk missiles are a centrepiece of Tokyo’s new strategy of equipping itself with long-range strike capabilities to deal with challenges from China and North Korea. But Washington has informed Tokyo that deliveries for its order for about 400 missiles by March 2028 would be disrupted, according to people familiar with the situation.

The US has launched hundreds of Tomahawk missiles during the attack on Iran, according to one person familiar with the matter, who did not want to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.

There were about 4,000 Tomahawks in US stockpiles before the war, including older models and anti-ship variants. RTX produced about 100 new missiles in 2025, while about 240 older models were upgraded to the latest Block V standard. The person said more than two years’ worth of such combined production had been consumed so far in the war.

Japan’s US$2.35 billion order, signed in 2024, was one of the biggest from a foreign country. Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said in March that the first shipment of Tomahawks had been received. However, the US has said its priority now is to ensure supplies for the war in Iran, according to two people familiar with the situation.
It is unclear whether there is a risk the US would miss the overall March 2028 deadline to complete shipments because of expected disruptions to the flow of deliveries.

Koizumi and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth held two phone calls in mid-March to discuss the Iran conflict. Official statements about the meetings did not mention Tomahawk supplies, but two people familiar with the situation said the issue was discussed on at least one of the calls.

The Pentagon declined to comment, while Japan’s defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment. RTX spokesman Chris Johnson said he was unaware of Japan being informed about shipment disruptions.

The setback comes after Tokyo recently announced that the destroyer Chokai had completed modifications in the US to make it the first Japanese warship able to fire the missiles, which have a range of about 1,600km (1,000 miles) and can be launched from ships and submarines.

Japan is one of the biggest global buyers of US military equipment. After Tokyo announced a major shift in late 2022 to invest in so-called counterstrike capabilities as part of a new national defence strategy, Tomahawks were seen as a relatively quick way to obtain long-range cruise missiles while also developing indigenous capabilities.

Japan’s other long-range cruise missile is the extended-range Type-12 missile made by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which has a range of around 1,000km.

On Tuesday, Koizumi announced that Type-12 missiles had been deployed to a base in Kumamoto, southern Japan, and other locally produced missiles known as Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectiles to a military base around 96km west of Tokyo.

Given the possibility of delayed Tomahawk shipments “it was a wise choice that Japan has developed various types of indigenous long-range missiles”, said Hirohito Ogi, a former Japanese defence ministry official.

Chinese government spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Wednesday that Beijing was “gravely concerned” about Tokyo’s missile deployments, calling them “another signal that Japan’s right-wing forces are pushing for a more offensive and expansionist defence policy”.

Tomahawks have become US President Donald Trump’s weapon of choice in strikes in Nigeria, Syria, Yemen and Iran. The US has likely fired well over 1,000 in these operations combined, said Bloomberg Economics defence lead Becca Wasser.

As the US tries to replenish its stocks, its allies and partners will feel the pinch, she said. The Trump administration has set to the stage with its “America first” foreign military sales process that puts the US first, followed by model allies, and then an opaque prioritisation after that, she said. The UK, Australia and the Netherlands also buy Tomahawk missiles.

Efforts to ramp up Tomahawk production to 1,000 – a new Pentagon goal with RTX outlined in a February “framework agreement” – could take years. The navy only requested 57 missiles for this financial year.

Since the 2021 financial year the US has only bought 322 Tomahawks in total, Wasser said. In financial years 2019, 2024 and 2025, the US Navy bought no new Tomahawks despite numerous US-China war games showing the need for them in high numbers, she said.

US allies in Asia are already concerned about the redeployment of American military assets to the Middle East. In March, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung confirmed the US was looking at relocating air defence assets to the region despite his opposition.

Around 3,500 Marines and sailors stationed in Japan and sent to the Middle East with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit based in Okinawa, southern Japan, arrived last week for potential combat in the ongoing Iran war.