Japan will move forward on the Tomahawk decision as a part of the rollout of its new national security and defense strategies this month, along with a major hike in Japan’s defense budget — to the NATO benchmark of 2 percent of gross domestic product, which would make it the third-largest in the world.“The introduction of this system will symbolize a major positive change regarding counterstrike capabilities,” a Japanese official said.In August, after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) visited Taipei, an outraged Beijing carried out aggressive military drills near Taiwan, including the launch of a ballistic missile that landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone.“This represents a significant evolution in Japan’s strategic thinking,” said Jeffrey Hornung, an expert in Japanese security and foreign policy at the Washington-based Rand Corp. “China’s behavior over the last 10 years has really put Japan on a trajectory of thinking more seriously about its defense.” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has pushed a more assertive foreign policy agenda since February.Japan views the Tomahawk missiles as a “stopgap” weapon that could be delivered within five or so years, as it works to extend the range of its own Type 12 cruise missiles to have a similar ability to attack military targets on land from a distance."