Japan is racing to bolster its military muscle, accelerating the rollout of its domestically developed Type-12 anti-ship missiles in a move that signals a dramatic shift in the nation’s postwar defense posture. The Defense Ministry announced on August 29, 2025, that the first batch of these upgraded long-range missiles will be installed at Camp Kengun in Kumamoto Prefecture by March 2026—an entire year ahead of the original schedule. This decision, as reported by AP, Japan News, and The Asahi Shimbun, comes amid mounting regional tensions and a rapidly evolving security landscape in East Asia.
The Type-12 missile, boasting a range of approximately 1,000 kilometers (about 620 miles), is a cornerstone of Japan’s new strategy to strengthen its so-called "strike-back" capability. The missile’s reach allows Japan to target potential threats from well beyond the range of enemy radar and missile systems, dramatically expanding its options for deterrence. According to The Asahi Shimbun, these missiles can be launched from land-based sites, vehicles, ships, and even destroyers, underscoring their flexibility in modern warfare scenarios.
This fast-tracked deployment is a direct response to an increasingly assertive China, as well as persistent threats from North Korea and Russia. In June 2025, Japan detected two Chinese aircraft carriers operating near its southern islands—a significant escalation in China’s naval activity that set off alarm bells in Tokyo. The Defense Ministry’s move also reflects concerns about North Korea’s ongoing missile tests and Russia’s growing military presence in the region. As Japan News reports, these developments have prompted Japanese leaders to fundamentally rethink the country’s pacifist defense stance, which has been in place since the end of World War II.
Japan’s security strategy underwent a seismic change in 2022, when the government explicitly named China as its primary strategic challenge. The new five-year defense plan calls for a closer alliance with the United States and a more offensive role for the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF). The shift is historic: for decades, Japan’s constitution limited the use of force strictly to self-defense. Now, the country is positioning itself as a more proactive player in regional security, with an eye toward deterring aggression before it reaches Japanese shores.
To support these ambitions, Japan is dramatically ramping up its military spending. The Defense Ministry is seeking a record 8.85 trillion yen (roughly $59.9 billion) for the fiscal 2026 budget—a figure that dwarfs previous years and reflects the urgency of the current threat environment. According to The Yomiuri Shimbun, about 1.02 trillion yen of this will go directly toward deploying the new standoff missiles, with additional funds earmarked for long-range drones, unmanned vehicles, and other advanced defense technologies. The goal: to increase defense spending to 2% of GDP by 2027, up from the traditional 1%, partly in response to pressure from the United States, Japan’s treaty ally, to shoulder a greater share of regional security responsibilities.
The deployment of the upgraded Type-12 missiles isn’t limited to Kumamoto. The Defense Ministry revealed that additional land-based missile sites will be established at Camp Fuji in Shizuoka Prefecture by fiscal 2027. Meanwhile, the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s destroyer Teruzuki, based at Yokosuka, and F-2 fighter jets stationed at Hyakuri Base in Ibaraki Prefecture will be equipped with ship- and aircraft-launched versions of the missile starting in fiscal 2027. This multi-pronged rollout underscores Japan’s commitment to a layered and flexible deterrence strategy.
But the missile program is just one part of a broader technological upgrade. Japan is also investing heavily in unmanned aerial, surface, and underwater drones for surveillance and coastal defense. The Defense Ministry has earmarked 312.8 billion yen for strengthening capabilities with unmanned aerial vehicles, with 128.7 billion yen focused on building or improving unmanned water surface vehicles and drones launched from ships. The SHIELD system, designed to protect Japan’s coastal regions using drones, is slated for completion by the end of fiscal 2027. These investments are partly a response to Japan’s demographic challenges: with an aging and shrinking population, the country faces chronic shortages of military personnel, making technological solutions all the more vital.
Japan’s defense modernization isn’t stopping at the water’s edge or in the skies. The Ministry has announced plans to convert the Air Self-Defense Force into an "air and space self-defense force" within fiscal 2026, reflecting growing concerns about space-based threats. With China, Russia, and other countries developing anti-satellite technologies, Japan intends to establish a new SDF unit specializing in space domain operations. An office for Pacific defense initiatives will also be launched to manage surveillance and warning activities as Chinese activity in the Pacific intensifies.
Another key component of Japan’s new posture is the planned deployment of hyper velocity gliding projectiles (HVGPs), which have even longer ranges and are designed to defend remote islands. These weapons will begin arriving at Camp Fuji by the end of fiscal 2025 and will be deployed to Camp Kamifurano in Hokkaido and Camp Ebino in Miyazaki Prefecture in fiscal 2026. The accelerated timeline for both the Type-12 missiles and HVGPs was made possible by smooth development progress and, crucially, U.S. intelligence indicating that China could possess the capability to attack Taiwan by fiscal 2027, as reported by The Asahi Shimbun.
Yet, the path forward isn’t entirely smooth. There are significant hurdles to overcome, including the need to secure consent from local communities near the new missile bases. Civic groups in Kumamoto, for example, have already voiced concerns that their neighborhoods could become targets in the event of a conflict. There are also logistical and budgetary challenges. The redistribution of ammunition depots—historically concentrated in Hokkaido due to Cold War-era threats from the Soviet Union—is underway to better reflect current security realities. And the surging global cost of semiconductors threatens to complicate and potentially delay missile production.
Furthermore, while Japan is striving for greater self-reliance, it will continue to depend on U.S. intelligence for targeting information, especially for sites far from areas where Japanese surveillance planes and ships can safely operate. To reduce this dependence over time, Japan is expanding its own drone and satellite reconnaissance capabilities.
This rapid transformation of Japan’s defense posture marks a radical departure from the country’s postwar pacifism. As the region grows more volatile, Japan is betting that technological innovation, increased spending, and a more assertive military will help secure its future in an uncertain world.
