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Kyodo

Japan’s defence ministry said on Tuesday that long-range missiles with counterstrike capabilities have been brought into service at two Ground Self-Defence Force bases in the country.
The deployment of the missiles at Camp Kengun in Kumamoto prefecture, southwestern Japan, and Camp Fuji in Shizuoka prefecture, central Japan, marks a shift from the country’s exclusively defence-oriented policy under its war-renouncing constitution.
Japan has for the first time acquired a counterstrike capability, aiming to bolster deterrence in the wake of escalating tensions with China.
The capability enables Japan to attack enemy bases once an imminent attack is deemed likely, even before any damage occurs, but a misjudgment could result in a violation of international law, which bans pre-emptive attacks.
“This is an extremely important effort to strengthen our deterrence and response capabilities as we face the most severe and complex security environment of the post-war era,” Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters on Tuesday.
While the ministry maintains the systems are essential for strengthening deterrence amid changes in the regional security environment, residents are concerned that the deployment sites could become targets in the event of a conflict.

According to the ministry, Camp Kengun has been equipped with a ground-launched version of the upgraded Type 12 land-to-ship guided missile that has a range of about 1,000km (621 miles) and can reach parts of the continental coastline from the Kyushu region.
Meanwhile, a training unit at Camp Fuji has been equipped with hypervelocity gliding projectiles for the defence of remote islands. Operational methods will be studied there, with plans to deploy the missiles to Camp Kamifurano in Hokkaido and Camp Ebino in Miyazaki prefecture in the Kyushu region in the 2026 financial year.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the model currently in use has a range of several hundred kilometres. The ministry is working to upgrade it to a range of around 2,000km.
When asked if the ministry would hold a briefing session for Kumamoto residents, Koizumi said, “There is no such plan at this point.”
On March 17, two weeks before the missile deployment, the defence ministry held an exhibition of missile launchers and other equipment for top local officials, such as the prefecture’s governor and the capital’s mayor.


About 50 residents staged a protest against the decision on Tuesday in front of the main gate of the camp, holding up signs reading, “No to deployment” and “We don’t need missiles”.
“This is a day of anger,” Hidemitsu Horiuchi, 73, said into a microphone. “The surrounding area is densely populated with houses. Kumamoto will be a target.”
The possession of counterstrike capabilities was formally outlined in three revised security documents in 2022 during the tenure of then-prime minister Fumio Kishida.
The ministry plans to continue deploying long-range missiles to equip various units with strike capabilities. Last Friday, the Maritime Self-Defence Force’s Chokai destroyer, which is equipped with Aegis technology, acquired the capability to launch US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles.
The MSDF destroyer Teruzuki, based in Yokosuka, Kanagawa prefecture near Tokyo, and F-2 fighter jets at the Air Self-Defence Force’s Hyakuri Airbase in Ibaraki prefecture are also scheduled to be equipped with Type 12 missiles. Deliveries of long-range Joint Strike Missiles for F-35A stealth fighter jets have also begun.


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News

Asia

East Asia

The shifting defence policy drew backlash from Kumamoto residents fearing for their safety


The shifting defence policy drew backlash from Kumamoto residents fearing for their safety.


China-Japan relations

Defence

Shinjiro Koizumi

Fumio Kishida

Japan deploys long-range missiles to 2 bases amid China tensions, irking locals

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The shifting defence policy drew backlash from Kumamoto residents fearing for their safety

The shifting defence policy drew backlash from Kumamoto residents fearing for their safety