The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force plans to use inert training missiles on target vessels in waters 32 to 328 feet west of Minamitorishima, an island about 1,148 miles southeast of Tokyo. (Japan coast guard)
Japan this summer will deploy equipment to support surface-to-ship missile exercises from its easternmost island that are slated to begin as soon as next year, according to the Ministry of Defense.
The Ground Self-Defense Force plans to send a launcher for its Type-12 missile, an unspecified number of Scan Eagle II drones and a network electronic warfare system to Minamitorishima sometime between June and July, a spokesman for Japan’s Ground Staff said by phone Wednesday.
He did not say when the missiles themselves would be deployed.
Soldiers will use inert, or nonexplosive, training missiles on target vessels 32 feet to 328 feet west of the island, the Ground Staff said in July 2024.
The Defense Ministry is preparing firing positions and roads at Minamitorishima for the drills, which are expected to begin after April 2027, ministry spokesman Kimihito Aguin said during a news conference Tuesday in Tokyo.
The ministry is working to “confirm that the size, slope and ground conditions of the deployment area for the firing positions and fire control systems are secured according to regulations, thereby confirming that the various pieces of equipment can be operated safely and reliably,” he said.
Ministry officials explained the deployment to the mayor of Ogasawara village on Tuesday, a village spokesman said by phone Wednesday.
Ogasawara village consists of more than 30 islands administered by Tokyo. This includes inhabited Chichijima and Hahajima, as well as Iwo Jima, also called Iwo To, and Minamitorishima, which houses facilities for the Japan Meteorological Agency and Maritime Self-Defense Force. No civilians live on Minamitorishima.
The high-speed, truck-mounted Type-12 missile has a range of 62 miles; an upgraded version increases that range to about 620 miles. No upgraded missiles will deploy to Minamitorishima, the Ground Staff spokesman said Wednesday.
Some Japanese government officials speak to the press only on condition of anonymity.
The upgraded version of the Type-12 will deploy to Camp Kengun on Kyushu on March 31, according to the ministry. Another Type-12 unit is expected to deploy to Japan’s Camp Fuji, about 3 miles north of the Marine Corps’ Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji, for training by March 2028.
The Type-12 and Tomahawk missiles Japan agreed to purchase from the United States in 2023 are elements of a counterstrike capability unveiled in 2022 as part of the nation’s national defense strategy.
