Japan is set to conduct an anti-ship missile firing drill on its territory, as Chinese and Russian naval forces continue operating in waters surrounding the United States ally.
Japan, along with Taiwan and the Philippines, forms part of the First Island Chain. This is part of a U.S. containment strategy aimed at restricting China’s and Russia’s military access to the broader Western Pacific Ocean through the use of Washington-aligned territories.
Tokyo designates five waterways around the Japanese archipelago as “international straits,” which Chinese and Russian naval vessels have used for transit. The Japanese Defense Ministry has regularly monitored and reported their movements.
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force announced on Tuesday that its annual surface-to-ship missile firing training will take place from June 19 to 30 on the southern coast of Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island. The training aims to improve the force’s anti-ship capabilities.
Japanese daily newspaper The Asahi Shimbun reported on Wednesday that the training will involve the Type 88 surface-to-ship missile, which is capable of striking targets over 62 miles away.
According to the report, a pair of launch events have been planned. During these events, unarmed missiles will be fired at targets in waters within a 24-mile radius southwest of the range.
The range is northeast of the Tsugaru Strait, which connects the Sea of Japan in the west—referred to as the East Sea in South Korea—with the Pacific Ocean in the east. The strait separates two of Japan’s main islands: Hokkaido to the north and Honshu to the south.
Due to “space constraints and safety concerns,” the report said that Japan’s missile firing events had previously been held in the U.S. and other overseas locations. The upcoming event will mark the first-ever launch of the indigenous Type 88 missile to be carried out in the country.
China’s expansion of its warship fleet and increased naval activities have pushed Japan to enhance its ship-sinking capabilities. Japan is developing an upgraded version of the Type 12 missile and has ordered two American missiles with maritime strike capabilities.
Japan’s defense white paper 2024 read: “China is further strengthening cooperation with Russia, including in military activities. It has also conducted joint bomber flights and naval navigations with Russia near Japan. These repeated joint activities are clearly intended to demonstrate force against Japan and are a grave concern from the perspective of Japan’s national security.”
Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Chinese Defence Ministry, said: “Japan has been closely tracking, monitoring, and interfering with Chinese vessels and aircraft for a long time, jeopardising the safety of Chinese vessels and aircraft and easily causing maritime and air security problems.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry said: “With regard to resuming the bilateral political dialogue, it was again emphasized that the path to full-fledged cooperation can only be opened if Japan drops its hostile policy [toward] Russia, confirmed by concrete steps.”
Whether Japan will schedule additional missile-firing drills on its own soil remains to be seen.
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