Japan Accelerates First Long-Range Type-12 Missile Deployment to Kumamoto Base

Japan’s Ministry of Defense said on 29 August it will deploy ground-launched, extended-range Type-12 surface-to-ship missiles to the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Camp Kengun in Kumamoto in fiscal 2025, with operations to start around March 2026. A second unit will be stationed at Camp Fuji in Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture in fiscal 2027. It is the first time Tokyo has publicly identified bases for weapons intended to provide what it calls a “counterstrike capability.” The domestically built Type-12 upgrade is designed to fly roughly 1,000 kilometres, enabling strikes on targets far beyond the reach of existing systems. The timetable has been moved forward by about a year and is part of a broader programme that also accelerates deployment of high-speed glide weapons and air- and sea-launched Type-12 variants, to be operated from F-2 fighters at Hyakuri Air Base and the destroyer Teruzuki from fiscal 2027. Officials say the programme will strengthen deterrence against increasing Chinese and North Korean missile and maritime activity near Japan’s southwest islands. Defence analysts note that the missiles’ range places parts of the Chinese mainland within reach, enhancing both deterrence and the risk of retaliation. The ministry has begun briefing local governments to build public understanding of the new deployments.