TOKYO REPORT: Japan to Deploy Ground-Based Long-Range Missiles at 4 Sites

Tokyo, Nov. 4 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Defense Ministry will begin a phased deployment of long-range standoff missiles capable of striking from outside an enemy’s range. Starting in fiscal 2025, the ministry plans to field ground-launched versions at Ground Self-Defense Force camps in Hokkaido, as well as Shizuoka, Kumamoto and Miyazaki prefectures. In response to increased military activity by China and other countries, the government will accelerate the development of counterstrike capabilities targeting enemy bases. However, communities near planned deployment sites remain deeply concerned about becoming targets in a crisis, and local authorities are demanding detailed explanations from the central government. The Defense Ministry said it will deploy an upgraded Type 12 ground-launched antiship guided missile, with an estimated range of 1,000 kilometers, to Camp Kengun in the southwestern city of Kumamoto in fiscal 2025-26 and to Camp Fuji in the town of Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, in fiscal 2027. Camp Kengun hosts the 5th Surface-to-Ship Missile Regiment, which operates the current Type 12, while Camp Fuji is home to a field artillery school unit responsible for training. The sites were chosen for their maintenance infrastructure and capacity to support future operational expansion. For ship- and air-launched variants of the missile, the ministry will accelerate the start of operations by one year, to fiscal 2027. The missiles are slated for deployment on the Maritime SDF destroyer Teruzuki, homeported at the Yokosuka base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, as well as on upgraded F-2 fighter jets to be based at the Air SDF’s Hyakuri base in Omitama, Ibaraki Prefecture. Both bases are located in eastern Japan. The island defense high-speed glide munition–a ground-launched missile designed to follow an irregular, hard-to-intercept trajectory–will be deployed to Camp Fuji in fiscal 2025, a year ahead of the original schedule. In fiscal 2026, new operational units are to be established and stationed at Camp Kamifurano in Hokkaido, northernmost Japan, and at Camp Ebino in Miyazaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan. Japan’s push to deploy standoff missiles reflects growing concern over China’s military buildup and maritime expansion. If the upgraded Type 12 ground-launched antiship missile were deployed from Kumamoto, parts of mainland China’s coastline would be within range. At a news conference on Sept. 2, then Defense Minister Gen Nakatani underscored the significance of the move, saying the missiles “can provide stronger deterrence to dissuade an adversary from attacking and reduce the very likelihood of an armed attack on our country.” In its budget request for fiscal 2026, his ministry included 1,024.6 billion yen to develop standoff missile capabilities. Meanwhile, unease is growing in the regions designated to host the deployment. After the ministry briefed local officials on Aug. 29, Kumamoto Governor Takashi Kimura told reporters, “I would like (the ministry) to provide explanations that reassure residents.” Asked whether the plan should proceed, he added, “National defense is exclusively a matter for the state, and I am not in a position to offer an opinion.” At the news conference, Nakatani stressed: “Designating a location does not immediately mean it will be operated there. Specific operational sites will be determined according to the situation.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]