US State Dept OKs potential sale of 400 Tomahawk missiles to Japan -Pentagon

FILE PHOTO: The U.S. Navy guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey fires a Tomahawk land attack missile April 14, 2018. U.S. Navy/Lt. j.g Matthew Daniels/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

(Reuters) -The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of 400 Tomahawk missiles and related equipment to Japan in a deal valued at $2.35 billion, the Pentagon said on Friday.

The sale comes as U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed on Wednesday to open a presidential hotline, resume military-to-military communications, and work to curb fentanyl production, showing tangible progress in their first face-to-face talks in a year.