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)
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Japan’s army plans to build a firing range on its easternmost island for surface-to-ship missile drills, part of its military build-up to counter regional rival China.
The Ground Self-Defense Force will use inert, or nonexplosive, training missiles on target vessels in waters 32 to 328 feet west of Minamitorishima, Chief of Staff Gen. Yasunori Morishita said at a news conference Thursday, according to a Ground Staff Office spokesman Friday.
The firing range on the isolated coral atoll, less than a square mile in area and about 1,148 miles southeast of Tokyo, is expected to be available after April 2026 for drills involving Japan’s Type 12 surface-to-ship missiles, a spokesman for Ogasawara Village said by phone Friday.
Ogasawara Village consists of more than 30 islands administered by Tokyo. This includes the inhabited islands of 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 about 62 miles, and a planned upgrade under development would increase that range to about 620 miles.
The Ministry of Defense by 2026 plans to base the missiles at three Self-Defense Force bases in the Ryukyu Island chain, which includes Okinawa, and stretches to within sight of Taiwan.
The Type 12 and Tomahawk missiles Japan agreed to purchase from the United States last year are elements of a counterstrike capability unveiled in 2022 as part of the nation’s national defense strategy.
“We have been conducting the training of surface-to-ship missiles in facilities located in the U.S. and Australia, and because of this the opportunities and troops participating were limited,” Morishita said, according to the Ground Staff Office spokesman. “By having the facility in the country, we will be able to maintain a training base and secure a stable supply of training opportunities and improve proficiency.”
Some government officials in Japan may speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.
That island was chosen because of the sparse maritime and air traffic around it, Morishita said, according to the Ground Staff Office spokesman.
However, Chichijima and Hahajima are west of Minamitorishima. Morishita said missiles will not be fired toward these islands, and the ministry will check radar for civilian ships before conducting training, the spokesman said.
The spokesman for Ogasawara village, while recognizing the necessity of the training range, said he asked the Ministry of Defense to “consider the direction” of the missiles. He also asked that the ministry retrieve the roughly 30-foot-long training missiles after they are fired to preserve the environment.
“We were told that the troops and materials will be transported by ship,” the Ogasawara spokesman said. “We asked the ministry to give notice in advance if these ships are passing through Chichijima and Hahajima. We told them our concerns in August last year, but we haven’t received responses yet.”
