US to increase number of anti-ship missiles in Japan - sources

The United States will significantly increase its anti-ship missile capabilities in Japan as part of a broader effort to deter China, three US officials told Reuters on Tuesday.

Although the total number of US troops in Japan will not change, the new deployments could be the first in a series of announcements this year on military forces in Asia aimed at making Beijing think twice before initiating any conflict.

The agreement between Japan and the United States, which follows nearly a year of talks, will be announced Wednesday after a meeting in Washington between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and their Japanese counterparts.

Austin will meet Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada on Thursday at the Pentagon, followed by a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday.

The move comes after Japan last month unveiled its biggest military build-up since World War Two - a sweeping, five-year plan that was once unthinkable in the pacifist country but is fueled by concerns about Chinese actions in the region.