Japan sprinkles fresh missiles across its islands to fend off would-be attackers

MANILA, Philippines — Japan has deployed advanced missiles across various strategic locations amid what the government considers a volatile and complex security environment.

The Ministry of Defense had begun transporting upgraded versions of the Type 12 anti-ship guided missiles to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces’ Kengun Camp in central Kyushu Island as early as March 9, with troop deployment set for March 31.

The Type 12 surface-to-ship missiles are an upgraded variant of a shorter-range Type 12, which has been deployed since 2019. The new Type 12 SSMs can reach approximately 1,000 kilometers and have enhanced stealth capabilities.

The missiles form the core of Japan’s air and missile defense strategy. Japan’s standoff capability buildup includes deploying homegrown missiles and acquiring Tomahawk cruise missiles to be launched from modified Aegis destroyers.

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Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the missiles were intended to thwart “and eliminate invading enemy ships and landing forces at an early and far distance.”

Aside from the Type 12s, the ministry has scheduled the deployment of another indigenous missile system on March 31. The defense ministry will begin fielding the new hyper velocity gliding projectile (HVGP) in Camp Fuji, a training facility shared between the Ground Self-Defense Force and the U.S. Marine Corps, some 100 kilometers west of Tokyo.

The HVGP is a mobile, ground-launched supersonic weapon that flies in irregular trajectories, making it difficult to intercept. The defense ministry said the system will be stationed in the camp but will be deployed to different areas for various missions in the future, including deployment to remote islands to counter invading threats.

Koizumi said earlier this week that the live-fire exercises and the troop training at the Higashi Fuji Training Ground, the GSDF’s main training area, “are of great significance for improving the deterrence and resilience of the Japan-U.S. alliance.”

Apart from sending a unit to Camp Fuji, Japan also intends to deploy the HVGPs to Camp Kamifurano in Hokkaido in the country’s north, and Camp Ebino on the southeastern Kyushu Island.

The JGSDF is also deploying ground-to-ship missiles to Minamitorishima Island, an isolated coral atoll in the northwestern Pacific, for live-fire drills and electronic warfare training as early as June. Officials said the island is being prepared ahead of planned exercises this year.

Japan plans to develop a hypersonic version of the HVGP with U.S. support. The U.S. State Department approved the foreign military sale of equipment and services worth $340 million for the HVGP program on March 25, a week after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met with President Donald Trump in Washington.