Japan will spend about $2 billion on American Tomahawk missiles as part of record defense spending the country hopes will help to deter aggression from North Korea and China, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Officials in Tokyo announced plans last week to nearly double the amount of military spending in the next half-decade. That includes about $10.6 billion for developing the ability to attack military facilities in enemy countries if there are signs of imminent attack.

The budget also includes about $1.6 billion for the purchasing of Tomahawk missiles and $832 million on technical work and training for Japanese Aegis destroyers to ensure they are capable of launching the missiles.

The Japanese Defense Ministry did not specify how many missiles it planned to purchase. The Pentagon and Raytheon Technologies Corp., which manufactures Tomahawk missiles, declined to comment to the Journal.

The Journal noted that the U.S. is currently selling Tomahawk missiles to only one other country, the United Kingdom. An unnamed U.S. official, who spoke to The Washington Post on condition of anonymity, said the possible sale of Tomahawk missiles shows that "the United States is not just taking unilateral steps, but is seeking to empower allies and partners in ways that are deeply significant and magnify our capacities in the region."

"Japan wanted to limit its defense spending and try not to acquire second-strike capability. But the situation surrounding us does not permit us to do that," Ichiro Fujisaki, the former Japanese ambassador to the U.S., told the Post this month. "Many people thought [war] was a 20th-century issue, but we are now seeing that again."

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