Japan’s Defense Ministry said it will begin fielding long-range standoff missiles at Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) installations as a credible deterrence.
Plans call for upgraded versions of the Type 12 ground-launched, anti-ship missile to be deployed at JGSDF camps in Hokkaido, as well as Shizuoka, Kumamoto and Miyazaki prefectures, The Japan Times reported in November 2025.
The Defense Ministry said it will deploy the domestically developed guided missiles, which have an estimated range of 1,000 kilometers, to Camp Kengun in the city of Kumamoto by next year and to Camp Fuji in Oyama, a town in Shizuoka, in 2027, according to the newspaper.
Japan’s move reflects its concern over the military buildup and maritime incursions of its neighbors. The upgraded Type 12 could reach potential threats to Japan’s sovereignty.
Japan’s evolving defense doctrine is “more forward-leaning, expeditionary, and more integrated with regional and global actors,” The Asia Group consulting firm reported in August 2025.
For ship- and air-launched variants of the Type 12, the Defense Ministry will accelerate the start of operations by a year, to 2027, according to The Japan Times. Officials said the missiles will be deployed on the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer JS Teruzuki and on upgraded F-2 fighter jets for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.
The hypervelocity gliding projectile — a ground-launched missile designed to track and target threats with hard-to-intercept trajectories — will be deployed to Camp Fuji in 2026, The Japan Times reported. Also that year, operational units are to be established and stationed at Camp Kamifurano in Hokkaido and Camp Ebino in Miyazaki.
Japan also is acquiring U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles. In September 2025, the destroyer JS Chokai was dispatched to the U.S. to be equipped with Tomahawks.
Tokyo has announced plans to buy up to 400 of the missiles, which also can be launched from submarines and have a range of 1,600 kilometers, CNN reported in October 2025. Japan plans to equip 10 destroyers, including two under construction, with a Tomahawk variant that can be rerouted during flight and strike targets using infrared imaging.
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