Japan and the United States are collaborating on the development of new Aegis missile destroyers to replace the Congo class

 The Japanese Agency for Procurement, Technology and Logistics is indeed working with the US Department of the Navy to develop new missile destroyers with the Aegis combat system. According to the information, the contract with the US Department of Defense concerns a technical study on the replacement of Congo-class destroyers. As part of this program, Japan is upgrading its Aegis-equipped destroyers and plans to equip them with American Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of more than 1,600 km. It is planned to increase the number of such destroyers from eight to ten by 2027. The move is part of Japan's new national security strategy aimed at strengthening countermeasures and defense in the region, including against threats from North Korea. Japan is also investing heavily in modernizing and expanding the capabilities of its maritime defense forces based on joint technologies with the United States. This initiative reflects the deepening of military-technical cooperation between the two countries and ensuring the high combat capability of the Japanese navy in the field of missile defense and strike capabilities.