TOKYO: Japan signed a deal with its ally the United States on Thursday to buy 400 long-range Tomahawk missiles, as it ramps up its military capacity to counter regional security threats.

Faced with growing Chinese military clout and a nuclear-armed North Korea, the Japanese government plans to double its defence spending to the Nato standard of two per cent of GDP by 2027.

A sale of up to $2.35 billion for two types of Tomahawks, which have a 1,600-kilometre (995mile) range, was approved by Washington in November.

`The conclusion of this signingstarts the procurement of the Tomahawk missiles,` a defence official told reporters on Thursday after the deal was signed in Tokyo.

`Through sound implementation of the (defence) budget, we will extensively strengthen our defence capacity,` he added.-AFP