Japan recently deployed a warship to the United States, its security ally, for upgrades and training with the long-range Tomahawk cruise missile as part of efforts to enhance its defense capabilities to defeat potential aggression from China and North Korea.
Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment via email. North Korea’s Embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Why It Matters
China’s continuing military buildup for a potential invasion of Taiwan—a self-ruled island near Japan’s outlying southwestern islands—along with North Korea’s missile threat has prompted Japan to strengthen its standoff defense, the capability to engage and defeat an enemy from a significant distance and outside the attacker’s defenses.
Japan, part of a north-south defensive line known as the First Island Chain under a U.S. containment strategy to deter regional aggression, has gained Washington’s approval to acquire 400 Tomahawk missiles capable of conducting precision strikes from 1,000 miles away. The U.S. military launched them in strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in June.
What To Know
The Japanese destroyer JS Chokai left Japan for San Diego, California, on Friday to undergo upgrades and training with the Tomahawk missile. Before its departure, the ship conducted dummy Tomahawk missile-loading training at Yokosuka Naval Base.
The training aimed to familiarize the warship with Tomahawk missile operations and to confirm the safety management system, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry.
The Chokai will remain in the U.S. until mid-September 2026. It is expected to acquire Tomahawk missile launch capability during fiscal 2025, which runs from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, and is scheduled to conduct live-fire tests around summer 2026.
“Our stand-off defense capabilities are steadily progressing as we strengthen ties with the U.S. Navy and build readiness,” the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force said.
The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency, responsible for foreign military sales, said Tomahawk missiles will improve Japan’s capability to meet current and future threats. The missiles are now scheduled to be delivered between fiscal 2025 and 2027.
According to Naval News, Japan currently operates eight destroyers, all of which will be upgraded with Tomahawk missiles. Three of them, including the Chokai, have undergone upgrades to add Tomahawk missile launch capability during fiscal 2025.
What People Are Saying
Japan’s Defense Ministry said in a press release on Friday: “The Ministry of Defense values this U.S. deployment and training as evidence of steady progress in the Tomahawk program, and will continue to work toward the early establishment of stand-off defense capabilities.”
The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a press release in November 2023: “This proposed [Tomahawk missile] sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific region.”
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether Japan will place additional orders for Tomahawk missiles amid evolving threats from China and North Korea.
