Japan’s military on Tuesday test-fired a missile on Japanese territory for the first time, as the country accelerates its military buildup to deter China.
The Type 88 surface-to-ship, short-range missile was tested at the Shizunai Anti-Air Firing Range on Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido.
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s 1st Artillery Brigade used a training missile to target a boat with no crew about 40km off the island’s southern coast.
Photo: AFP / Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
Due to space limitations and safety concerns, Japan conducted past missile tests in the US, a treaty ally, and Australia, a top Japanese defense partner, where vast training grounds are available.
The military said that the test was successful.
It plans another through Sunday.
Dozens of protesters stood outside a neighboring army camp, saying missile tests only escalate tensions in Asia and risks involving Japan in possible conflicts.
Tuesday’s first domestic missile test underscores Japan’s push toward a more self-sufficient military and its acquisition of strike-back capabilities as a deterrence to China’s increasingly assertive naval activity in regional seas.
Japan is also concerned about growing joint military exercises around Japanese coasts between China and Russia.
Japan and Russia, a northern neighbor to Hokkaido, have territorial disputes.
Japan, under its post-World War II pacifist constitution, used to limit the use of force for self-defense only, but made a major break from that policy in 2022 when it adopted a five-year security strategy that names China as its biggest strategic challenge and calls for a closer Japan-US alliance.
Japan is working to deploy long-range cruise missiles, including Tomahawks purchased from the US, beginning later this year.
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