Japan Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers fire a Type-88 missile in this undated photo. (Japan Ground Self-Defense Force)
Japan’s army is planning a long-range missile drill next month — the first within its borders — as the country continues to beef up its military to counter regional rival China.
The Ground Self-Defense Force’s 1st Artillery Brigade plans a surface-to-ship missile training exercise at a coastal missile range next to Camp Shizunai in Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s main islands, June 19-30, according to a news release Tuesday.
Soldiers will launch two nonexplosive Type 88 surface-to-ship training missiles at a target boat somewhere within a 25-mile radius to the southwest, a spokesman with the Ground Staff Office said by phone Thursday.
The launch dates will depend upon weather conditions and “other factors,” he added. Some Japanese government officials may speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.
Japan’s truck-mounted Type 88 missile, also known as an SSM-1, is more than 16 feet long and weighs 1,455 pounds with a diameter of about 14 inches, according to a Ministry of Defense white paper from 2018.
The missiles have a range of more than 60 miles, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported Tuesday without citing a source.
Japan conducted a similar exercise in October 2023 at Point Mugu Sea Range, Calif., about 60 miles west of Los Angeles, to allow for more room to fire the missiles, the spokesman said. Training was moved to Japan to allow more units and troops to participate, he added.
Approximately 300 personnel will participate in this year’s exercise, double the 150 that participated in 2023, he added.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani during a news conference April 11 said arrangements were underway to train in Japan “considering the severe security environment in recent years,” despite limited space.
Japan is pursuing plans to build missile training ranges for surface-to-ship missile drills on Minamitorishima, an isolated coral atoll and its easternmost territory, to counter China’s aggressive moves in the region.
The Ground Self-Defense Force will use nonexplosive training missiles on target vessels in waters 32 to 328 feet west of Minamitorishima, Chief of Staff Gen. Yasunori Morishita said at a news conference in July.
The firing range, 1,148 miles southeast of Tokyo, is expected to be available after April 2026 for drills involving Japan’s Type 12 surface-to-ship missiles, a spokesman for Ogasawara village said in July.
The Type 12 missile, the successor of the Type 88, has a range of about 62 miles, and a planned upgrade under development would increase that to about 620 miles.
The Ministry of Defense by 2026 plans to base the missiles at three Self-Defense Force bases in the Ryukyu island chain, which includes Okinawa and stretches to within sight of Taiwan.
