Japan Tests First Surface-to-Ship Missile at Home

It’s ‘extremely important’ for Japan to improve its defense capabilities in a ’severe security environment,' a Tokyo government spokesperson said.

Surface-to-ship missiles (L) are carried in front of Mount Fuji during a live-fire exercise by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force at the East Fuji Maneuver Area in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, on June 8, 2025. Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images

Japan’s military completed its first domestic missile test on Tuesday, joining deterrence efforts in the face of growing regional security concerns in the face of the Chinese communist regime’s aggression.

The launch of the Type 88 surface-to-ship missile took place at Shizunai Anti-Air Firing Range in Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s four main islands.