The distant thunder of a missile launch from Hokkaido late last month was less a provocation than a statement of intent: marking a turning point, analysts say, in Japan’s approach to its own defence.
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On June 24, more than 300 members of the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force’s 1st Artillery Brigade gathered at a remote firing range for the country’s first-ever live missile test from home soil.
It saw a Type-88 surface-to-ship missile being launched towards an unmanned vessel parked 40km (25 miles) offshore. Such operations were previously conducted only in allied nations such as the United States or Australia due to space and safety concerns.
The drill came as Japan’s military aims to become more self-sufficient in countering China’s maritime activities.
Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani cited the desire to cultivate greater defence self-sufficiency amid an “increasingly severe security environment” at an April press conference announcing the drill.
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