Japan has deployed its first long-range missile at a southwestern army camp, a move that significantly bolsters its offensive capabilities and marks a departure from its long-held self-defence-only policy.
The upgraded Type-12 land-to-ship missiles, developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, are now operational at Camp Kengun in Kumamoto prefecture.
Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi stated the deployment was crucial given "the most severe and complex security environment in the postwar era," adding it "demonstrates Japan's firm determination and capability to defend itself."
With a range of approximately 1,000 kilometres (620 miles), the new missile represents a substantial upgrade from the original's 200-kilometre (125-mile) reach, enabling it to strike targets as far as mainland China.
This provides Japan with a "standoff" capability, allowing it to hit enemy missile bases from a distance, a strategic shift under its pacifist constitution.
However, the deployment has drawn criticism from local residents, who staged protests outside Camp Kengun.
They argue the move will escalate regional tensions and increase the risk of the area becoming a target for potential adversaries.
Japan rolls out more weapons systems to protect southwestern islands
Also on Tuesday, a hypersonic glide vehicle, a new weapons system designed for island defense, was deployed to Camp Fuji in the Shizuoka prefecture, west of Tokyo.
Additional deployment of the upgraded Type-12 missiles and HGVs at other locations in Japan, including Hokkaido in the north and Miyazaki in the south, are planned by March 2028.
Japan also plans to deploy U.S.-made, 1,600-kilometer (990-mile)-range Tomahawk cruise missiles on Japanese destroyer JS Chokai later this year, and eventually on seven other destroyers.
Takaichi boosts defense spending to counter China
Japan considers China its main regional security threat and has fortified the country's southwestern islands near the East China Sea in recent years.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Cabinet in December approved a record defense budget plan exceeding 9 trillion yen ($58 billion) for the fiscal year beginning April and aims to fortify its strike-back capability and coastal defense with cruise missiles and unmanned arsenals.
Japan last June spotted two Chinese aircraft carriers almost simultaneously operating near Japanese remote islands in the Pacific for the first time, sparking Tokyo's concern about Beijing’s military activity stretching far beyond its borders.
The defense minister last week announced the establishment of a new office dedicated to studying China’s Pacific activity.
Tensions have escalated further since Takaichi’s statement in November that any Chinese military action against Taiwan could be grounds for a Japanese military response.
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