Overview
- Japan’s Ministry of Defense announced that the JMSDF destroyer JS Chokai conducted a live-fire Tomahawk launch, which took place July 29 in the Pacific and was carried out by the Japanese crew with U.S. Navy support.
- Officials said the test proved the ship’s Tomahawk integration and that the crew could execute launch procedures while the missile reached its intended target, though specific details on range, target, number fired, and variant were withheld for security.
- Tokyo is buying up to 400 Tomahawk missiles through U.S. Foreign Military Sales, with deliveries of up to 200 Block IV and up to 200 Block V on schedule through fiscal 2027 and some deliveries already begun.
- Funding through fiscal 2026 includes about 113.6 billion yen to add Tomahawk launch capability to five Aegis destroyers—Chokai, Kirishima, Haguro, Myoko, and Atago—and Chokai is due back to Japan around September 2026.
- The launch expands Japan’s long-range standoff strike capacity under its revised defense posture and underscores closer operational integration with the U.S., while officials say no further shipboard live-fire tests are planned at this time.