The first of Japan’s destroyers is ready to carry Tomahawk missiles, with live-fire testing planned in the coming months.
Modifications for launching Tomahawks mark a major development in Japan’s defenses, providing the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force with a new, powerful weapon for its arsenal. Tokyo is also developing its own stand-off missile capabilities, paving the way for more ranged firepower.
Japan’s Ministry of Defense announced the completion of the Tomahawk modifications on the JS Chokai, a Kongo-class destroyer, on Monday. The milestone caps off years of work and acquisition plans between Tokyo and Washington regarding the missile.
Chokai sailed to the US last fall to receive modifications to carry Tomahawks and training for the ship’s crew. At the time, the JMSDF said it would take about a year to complete the process. Prior to departing, Chokai’s crew conducted a mock loading drill with US Navy personnel using dummy Tomahawks.
Now, the Japanese warship is ready for the next step: testing with the real thing.
“By around this summer, through live-fire drills and other tests, Chokai will attain its full operational capability,” the defense ministry said on social media.
Japan has also begun receiving some of the Tomahawk missiles it’s ordered. The total sale of 400 Tomahawk missiles — 200 Block IVs and 200 Block Vs — is expected to be completed sometime in fiscal year 2027. It’s also acquiring domestic stand-off missiles.
Tomahawk cruise missiles, made by RTX Corporation, are long-range weapons with precise targeting. The Block IVs have a range of 1,000 miles, while Block V variants are expected to extend beyond that. The Tomahawks also feature upgrades for effects against maritime targets.
Tomahawk missiles have been a weapon of choice for US forces in recent conflicts, including the US war in Iran, reports on which suggest around 850 Tomahawks have been fired so far.
Experts and analysts have warned about expending Tomahawks the US may need for a potential Indo-Pacific conflict with a formidable adversary like China, even as RTX has announced plans to ramp up production of the missile and its variants.
For Japan, fielding the Tomahawks aboard the Chokai and other Aegis-equipped destroyers will give its forces an additional combat-proven weapon.
The Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force also announced new capabilities this week. On Tuesday, the JGSDF said two new stand-off defense weapons had been deployed. The first is Japan’s homegrown upgraded Type 12 ground-launched missile, which extends the range of the munition from about 125 to 620 miles, and the second is its Hyper-Velocity Gliding Projectile for Island Defense.
“The HVGP is a combination of ballistic missile and hypersonic glide vehicle,” the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank noted earlier this month. “Once fired, the projectile separates from its rocket at a high altitude and glides to its target.”
These weapons — along with Japan’s new ability to launch Tomahawk missiles — are among the clearest signs of Tokyo’s shift toward a larger, more flexible arsenal as it prepares for the possibility of conflict in the Pacific.
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