Japan is preparing to launch a domestically developed long-range missile from its own territory for the first time in its postwar history. The upcoming live-fire exercise, scheduled between June 19 and 30, 2025, will involve the Type 88 Surface-to-Ship Missile (SSM-1) or 88式地対艦誘導弾 (SSM-1) and is set to take place near Camp Shizunai in Shinhidaka, on the southern coast of Hokkaido. The drill represents not just a technical milestone, but a symbolic step in Japan’s evolving defense doctrine—one that is moving toward greater autonomy, expanded strike capabilities, and a more assertive role in regional security.
Developed in the late 1980s by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the Type 88 is an entirely domestic system, derived from the earlier ASM-1 air-to-ship missile that first appeared in the 1970s. Japan’s strategic geography—an island nation surrounded by hostile or uncertain neighbors—heavily influenced the design philosophy of this missile. Unlike many Western systems, which are often launched from naval platforms or coastal batteries, the Type 88 was developed with a unique inland-deployment strategy. It can be launched from positions over 100 kilometers inland, offering protection from enemy naval gunfire and amphibious preemptive attacks.
The missile follows a complex, pre-programmed flight path that allows it to navigate mountainous terrain, descend to sea level upon reaching the coast, and then lock on to maritime targets using an advanced Ku-band active radar seeker. The seeker is capable of operating in electronically contested environments and features a “Home on Jam” function that allows it to home in on enemy jamming sources if radar lock is disrupted.
Physically, the Type 88 is a sleek, compact missile—roughly 5 meters long, 35 centimeters in diameter, and weighing around 650 kilograms. It carries a 225 to 270 kg conventional warhead and cruises at subsonic speeds up to Mach 0.93, or about 1,150 kilometers per hour. Its estimated operational range is approximately 150 kilometers. Radar-absorbing coatings and a low radar cross-section airframe enhance survivability during approach.
The Type 88’s operational concept is distinctively Japanese: maximize defense-in-depth from land-based positions to counter hostile naval forces before they reach Japanese shores. While Western nations often rely on blue-water navy operations or aircraft carrier groups, Japan’s missile systems are primarily ground-based due to constitutional constraints and limited offensive doctrine—at least until recently.
By deploying missiles like the Type 88 well inland, Japan reduces the chance that missile batteries will be neutralized in the first wave of an amphibious or aerial assault. It also takes advantage of Japan’s rugged topography, leveraging mountains and valleys as natural cover. The missile’s low-altitude sea-skimming profile and pre-set flight path further complicate interception efforts by adversaries.
Until now, Japan has never conducted a live-fire drill of the Type 88 within its own borders. All previous firings were done abroad, with the most notable recent example occurring in October 2023 at the Point Mugu Sea Range near Los Angeles, California. That drill tested operational procedures and missile performance in a controlled but foreign environment, useful for data gathering but disconnected from Japan’s unique geography.
The upcoming drill at Camp Shizunai marks the first time these systems will be tested in real terrain relevant to Japanese defense scenarios. According to the Ministry of Defense, this move signals a pivotal shift in operational philosophy: bring training closer to home, test systems under conditions that reflect actual potential use cases, and improve rapid response capabilities for domestic units.
Roughly 300 personnel—double the number from the 2023 U.S.-based test—will participate in the 2025 exercise, under the command of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s 1st Artillery Brigade of the Northern Army. Launches will be staggered and subject to weather, and extensive coordination is underway with local municipalities and fishing cooperatives to ensure safety.
The choice of Hokkaido as a test site is no accident. This northern island holds outsized strategic importance in Japan’s overall defense architecture. Located near Russia and adjacent to the Sea of Okhotsk and Tsugaru Strait, it offers oversight of crucial maritime corridors and acts as a forward buffer zone against incursions from the north.
With rising tensions in the East China Sea, Japanese defense planners are increasingly emphasizing the defense of their outlying territories and sea lanes. Hokkaido, with its wide-open land and direct access to maritime routes, is well suited for missile testing and deployment infrastructure.
The missile test isn’t just about operational proficiency—it reflects a doctrinal evolution in Japan’s postwar military policy. For decades, Japan maintained a strictly defensive military posture under Article 9 of its pacifist constitution. However, rising regional threats—especially from China’s naval buildup and frequent incursions near the Senkaku Islands—have pushed Tokyo to reconsider what “defensive” means in today’s geopolitical environment.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani emphasized in April 2025 that Japan must adapt to a deteriorating regional security landscape. He cited increased Chinese activity near Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands, along with North Korea’s continued missile tests, as justification for an enhanced counterstrike capability.
In this context, the Type 88 missile drill is just one piece of a broader strategy. Japan is not merely aiming to defend itself from attack; it is working to deter such attacks from occurring in the first place by increasing its ability to respond swiftly and with precision.
Complementing the Type 88 is its successor: the Type 12 Surface-to-Ship Missile. Building on the same inland-deployment concept, the Type 12 includes several key upgrades—reduced radar signature, improved guidance systems, better resistance to electronic countermeasures, and shorter reload and setup times. Its current range is comparable to the Type 88 at about 100 to 150 kilometers, but a new extended-range variant is under development.
The upgraded Type 12 aims to hit targets up to 1,000 kilometers away, radically transforming it from a coastal defense tool into a true standoff strike weapon. The Ministry of Defense plans to deploy these new missiles across three bases in the Ryukyu (Nansei) island chain, stretching from Kyushu toward Taiwan.
If successful, this would provide Japan with an overlapping umbrella of missile coverage across vital sea lanes and potential flashpoints, including the Miyako Strait and Bashi Channel—two critical maritime chokepoints for Chinese naval movement.
Another critical development in Japan’s defense roadmap is the potential use of Minamitorishima—an isolated atoll more than 1,800 kilometers east of Tokyo—as a future missile test site. This remote island, essentially the easternmost tip of Japanese territory, offers a vast and uninhabited area for long-range testing.
Starting in April 2026, the Ministry of Defense plans to conduct live-fire drills of the long-range Type 12 variant from this location. The move underscores Japan’s determination to build not only weapons but also the infrastructure to train, test, and deploy them independently.
By spreading its testing capabilities across multiple geographic fronts—from Hokkaido in the north to Minamitorishima in the east and the Ryukyus in the south—Japan is preparing for multi-theater defense while minimizing dependency on allied facilities abroad.
While Japan insists that its missile programs are defensive in nature, its growing ability to strike targets hundreds of kilometers away from its shores cannot be ignored by regional powers. China, in particular, may view these developments as a response to its own naval expansion, which includes new aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships, and anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) systems.
Tokyo’s efforts also signal something else to Washington: Japan is willing to shoulder more responsibility for its own defense, aligning with U.S. calls for greater burden-sharing in the Indo-Pacific. The U.S.-Japan alliance remains strong, but the dynamics are shifting from dependency to partnership. Japan’s growing military competence will likely give it greater voice and leverage in regional decision-making.
As Japan prepares to launch its Type 88 missile over domestic airspace for the first time, it steps into a new chapter of national defense—one where it no longer relies exclusively on allies or Cold War-era doctrines. With long-range missile technology, improved testing infrastructure, and a renewed focus on strategic geography, Japan is building a defense force capable of deterrence, precision, and autonomy.
