Advertisement

Why Japan just tested a missile on its own turf for the first time

Driven by concerns over China’s military might and North Korea’s provocations, Japan is moving towards greater defence self-sufficiency

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
2
A Type-88 missile is test launched from an anti-aircraft firing range in Shinhidaka on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido on June 24. Photo: Japan Ground Self-Defence Force / AFP
The distant thunder of a missile launch from Hokkaido late last month was less a provocation than a statement of intent: marking a turning point, analysts say, in Japan’s approach to its own defence.

On June 24, more than 300 members of the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force’s 1st Artillery Brigade gathered at a remote firing range for the country’s first-ever live missile test from home soil.

It saw a Type-88 surface-to-ship missile being launched towards an unmanned vessel parked 40km (25 miles) offshore. Such operations were previously conducted only in allied nations such as the United States or Australia due to space and safety concerns.

The drill came as Japan’s military aims to become more self-sufficient in countering China’s maritime activities.

Japan’s Defence Minister Gen Nakatani (left) and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (right) after inspecting an honour guard at the Ministry of Defence in Tokyo on June 30. Photo: AFP
Japan’s Defence Minister Gen Nakatani (left) and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (right) after inspecting an honour guard at the Ministry of Defence in Tokyo on June 30. Photo: AFP

Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani cited the desire to cultivate greater defence self-sufficiency amid an “increasingly severe security environment” at an April press conference announcing the drill.

Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2-3x faster
1.1x
220 WPM
Slow
Normal
Fast
1.1x