Japan conducted its first-ever surface-to-ship missile test on its territory, claiming it as a vital training exercise in response to the region’s “severe security environment”.
According to foreign media reports, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) fired a single “Type-88” missile into Pacific coastal seas from a training ground on the northern island of Hokkaido.
The Japanese military normally conducts surface-to-ship missile drills at facilities in the United States, but these training sessions are expensive, and the number of personnel who may participate is frequently limited.
“Domestic live-fire exercises like this one provide training opportunities for more troops,” top government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi said during a regular press conference on Wednesday.
Training exercises like this are “extremely important for us to maintain and improve the capability to defend islands and other areas, given the current severe security environment” , according to him.
He emphasized that the exercise was not directed at any single country, but Japan has already identified China as its most serious security threat as Beijing expands its military presence in the region.
The relative weakness of the Japanese yen has also increased the cost of training in American facilities, according to Japanese media reports.
Japan is in the process of boosting its defense budget to meet the NATO norm of around two percent of GDP over the next several years.
It is also strengthening its military cooperation with Washington, aiming to make US and Japanese forces more agile in the face of threats like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
