Overview
- Launchers and related equipment reached the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Camp Kengun in a pre-dawn transfer that prompted protests and complaints from local officials over the lack of prior notice.
- Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said the upgraded Type-12 system will be in place by the end of March, with a subsequent deployment planned for Camp Fuji later this year.
- The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries–built missile is reported to have a range of about 1,000 kilometers, a major increase from the original’s roughly 200 kilometers, and could reach mainland China.
- Japan accelerated the schedule by one year as part of a broader military buildup linked to tensions around Taiwan; interceptors and midrange surface-to-air missiles have been positioned across southwestern islands, with additional SAMs planned for Yonaguni by March 2031.
- An IISS analysis describes a wider counterstrike architecture that includes HVGP fielding through FY2025–FY2027, Tomahawk integration on JS Chokai with deliveries expected to begin by late March 2026, and new IHI–ICEYE SAR satellites with initial data expected starting April 2026.