TOKYO - Japan is in the final stages of negotiations with Washington to buy American-made Tomahawk cruise missiles, the Yomiuri daily reported on Friday, citing multiple unnamed Japanese government sources.

Tomahawks can hit targets from more than 1,000km away, putting parts of China and the Russian Far East within range of Japan.

Tokyo is seeking its biggest arms build-up since World War II in the face of Beijing’s rapid military modernisation and increased activity in nearby waters.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said he was aware of the media report, but refrained from commenting.

“The government is considering counter-attack capabilities but no specifics have been decided,” he added.

Concern about Chinese military activity in the seas and skies around Taiwan and Japan has intensified since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, because Japan worries it provides China with a precedent for the use of force against Taiwan.

China in August fired missiles into waters less than 160km from Japan in a display of might, angered by United States House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

At the 20th Communist Party Congress last week, Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for accelerating plans to build a world-class military. He said his country would never renounce the right to use force to resolve the Taiwan issue. REUTERS