By Wu Qiaoxi | 2025-07-11

Amid mounting tensions with Beijing, Japan is taking major steps to bolster its homeland defense, including conducting its first domestic surface-to-ship missile test.

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) on June 24 fired a Type 88 surface-to-ship missile from the Shizunai training range in northern Hokkaido.

About 300 soldiers from the First Artillery Brigade took part in the exercise, which targeted a decommissioned vessel about 40km off the southern coast of Hokkaido, according to local media.

The test marked the first time such a missile launch occurred within Japanese territory, as previous live-fire exercises took place in the United States or Australia because of space constraints and safety concerns.

With a range of approximately 100km, the Type 88 is a key component of Japan's antiship defense.

The live firing is evidence of "Japan's efforts to develop and acquire long-range precision strike capabilities are making steady progress, enhancing Japan's deterrence against China," Masafumi Iida, director of security studies at the National Institute for Defense Studies, told the South China Morning Post (SCMP) in late June.

Japan is working to upgrade its missile arsenal, developing an extended-range version of the Type 12 surface-to-ship missile, with a projected reach of up to 1,000km.

Grant Newsham, a senior fellow at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies, called the launch "a prudent effort" as "Japan has woken up" and takes its defense more seriously amid China's encroachment, as reported by the SCMP.

Growing tensions

Japan's constitution limits its forces to defense, but since adopting the 2022 National Defense Strategy, Tokyo has called China its "greatest strategic challenge" and emphasized closer US ties.

Military tensions between Japan and China have intensified in recent months, with Beijing ramping up its maritime and aerial presence across East Asia.

In June, the Chinese carriers Liaoning and Shandong conducted simultaneous Pacific operations for the first time, repeatedly passing near Japan's southern islands.

During the drills, a Chinese J-15 taking off from the Shandong flew within 45 meters of a Japanese reconnaissance plane, making a dangerously close encounter.

On July 9, a Chinese JH-7 bomber similarly flew as close as 30 meters to another Japanese surveillance aircraft, Kyodo News reported.

Tensions in the East China Sea meanwhile remain high.

The Japanese government announced on July 10 that Chinese coast guard ships had been spotted in the waters around the disputed Senkaku Islands (known as Diaoyu in China) for 234 consecutive days -- a new record since Tokyo nationalized the islets in 2012.

Tokyo has accused Beijing of installing a new structure on the Chinese side of the median line in the East China Sea, in an area suspected to hold shared oil and gas reserves.

Japanese lawmakers, concerned about unilateral development, flew over the site in a military aircraft on June 29 to inspect the facilities. They later emphasized the importance of "ensuring Japan's resources are not exploited by China."

China is "attempting to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas by force," Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, speaking at a high-level JSDF meeting in late June, warned.

"We must strengthen our deterrence to prevent the spread of aggression to our territory," he said, vowing to advance defense reforms under the National Security Strategy.

'A stronger deterrent'

In another major step to reinforce defenses in the southwest, Japan began deploying its fleet of 17 V-22 Ospreys to a newly opened permanent base in Saga on July 9.

The aircraft had been temporarily stationed in Chiba Prefecture for the past five years. The relocation supports Japan's strategy to counter China’s maritime expansion and secure the Nansei island chain -- a strategically vital area because of its proximity to Taiwan.

The Ospreys will work closely with Japan's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade to improve mobility and crisis response.

The deployment "will serve as a stronger deterrent not only to China but also to other nations," a senior JSDF official told the Mainichi Shimbun.

Japan is deepening its international military cooperation.

The British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales is expected to conduct joint drills with Japan in waters near China in August and September.

Observers are closely watching whether British F-35B fighters will land directly on the Japanese helicopter destroyer Kaga, a move that would mark a new milestone in allied interoperability in the Indo-Pacific, as reported by The Japan Times in early July.

From its first domestic missile test to expanded deployments in the southwest, Japan is moving beyond postwar pacifism and adopting a more proactive defense posture in response to China's growing regional ambitions.