Japan embarked on the path of militarization in 2022, issuing a new national security doctrine aimed at doubling the country’s defense spending within the next five years. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth recently visited Japan to announce an upgrade of the US military command there to a new “war-fighting headquarters.”
The military exercises by the Ground Self-Defense Force will take place at the Shizunai Anti-Aircraft Firing Range in Shinhidaka, Hokkaido – pointedly facing the Pacific.
Simulating attacks on ships from land, Japan plans to use its Type 88 surface-to-ship missile, a weapon with a range of over 100 kilometers, previously deemed too risky to test within Japan’s crowded air and sea lanes.
However, amid its accelerating military ambitions, these concerns appear to have been swept aside.
The SSM-1 (Type-88) coastal anti-ship missile system was developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for Japanese self-defense forces and adopted for service in 1988.
Japan justifies its growing arsenal under the pretext of “deterrence” against China’s maritime activity – echoing the familiar mantra pushed by the US.
