Japan upgrades naval destroyer for long-range strikes

Japan’s Ministry of Defense said early Friday that the Maritime Self-Defense Force Kongo-class guided-missile destroyer JS Chokai has formally acquired the ability to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles.

The announcement was released by the Ministry of Defense and the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency on March 27, and provides the most detailed official account to date of Japan’s progress in fielding sea-based long-range strike capability. The ministry said the Kongo-class destroyer, currently deployed to the United States, has completed all required upgrades and personnel preparation needed to operate the missile system.

According to the ministry’s statement, the capability is part of Japan’s broader effort to strengthen its stand-off defense capability, designed to stop and remove invading forces at an early stage and from long distance.

The ministry said in its official release: “The Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces are strengthening stand-off defense capability in order to stop and eliminate invading forces against our country at an early stage and from long distances.”

It added that while Japan is accelerating efforts to procure domestically produced stand-off missiles, the Tomahawk program will serve as a complementary capability, with missile acquisition planned from fiscal year 2025 through fiscal year 2027.

The ministry further said JS Chokai has been in the United States since mid-October 2025, where ship modifications and crew training necessary to add Tomahawk launch functionality were carried out with assistance from the U.S. Navy.

As stated by the ministry: “The destroyer Chokai, which has been dispatched to the United States, has been undergoing ship modifications necessary to add Tomahawk launch functionality and crew training since mid-October 2025 with the support of the U.S. Navy, and these have now been successfully completed, confirming the acquisition of Tomahawk launch capability.”

The ministry said the next phase will continue through the summer, when the ship is expected to undergo live-fire trials and operational readiness evaluations.

According to the statement, “By around this summer, we plan to confirm, through live-fire tests and other measures, that the crew, including its proficiency, is capable of performing actual missions.”

It also confirmed that delivery of the missiles has already begun, stating: “Delivery of the Tomahawk missiles has begun.”

The Ministry of Defense described the milestone as evidence of steady progress in the Tomahawk program and said it would continue efforts to rapidly establish Japan’s stand-off defense capability.

From an operational standpoint, the Tomahawk gives Japan a sea-based long-range precision strike capability with a reported range of about 1,600 kilometers. The missile is designed to hit fixed land targets such as launch sites, command facilities, radar stations, and logistics infrastructure from outside an adversary’s engagement envelope.

The choice of JS Chokai, the fourth ship of the Kongo-class, is also operationally relevant because the class already serves as a core air and missile defense platform within the Maritime Self-Defense Force. Integrating Tomahawk capability expands the ship’s mission set beyond air defense into long-range strike operations.