This development marks a key shift in the country’s defense strategy. Japan committed to acquiring 400 Tomahawks last year to equip its eight Aegis destroyers as part of a larger standoff capability, which includes fielding upgraded Type 12 missiles in the southwest and deploying hyper velocity gliding projectile systems across the country.

The existing missile defense network may not be fully capable of responding to threats, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters in a briefing on Friday.

“To prevent missiles flying through the missile defense network and to prevent further armed attacks, it is necessary to … have the ability to counterattack. Stand-off missiles can also be used for this counterattack ability,” Koizumi said.

The destroyer’s launcher modification marks a landmark milestone in the country’s efforts to rapidly deploy stand-off capabilities and bolster deterrence measures, he added.

Stand-off weaponry describes a class of arms with ranges so long that operators can fire them from a safe distance, without fearing countermeasures capable of reaching them.

The defense ministry introduced stand-off capabilities in 2017, and it formed the core of the security strategy shift in 2020, which later expanded to additional policy documents, including a detailed buildup plan in the country’s southwest in 2022.

The Tomahawk cruise missiles can be launched from ships or submarines with a range of over 1,600km. The Japanese variant can be rerouted during flight, and advanced versions are capable of hitting moving targets.

The refitted JS Chokai can load and fire both the Block IV and V variants of the cruise missiles.

JS Chokai arrived at Naval Base San Diego, California, in October 2025 for renovations and crew training with the U.S. Third Fleet. Live-fire training is scheduled for August, before JS Chokai returns to its home port in Sasebo Naval Base in the southwestern Kyushu Island in September.

Japan is moving toward a “denial and limited strike” model by fast-tracking the implementation of its 2022 strategy, maritime security expert Benjamin Blandin told Defense News. Blandin is a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research in Taiwan.

“Japan is operationalizing a long overdue counterstrike capability, shifting from strict homeland defense to semi-regional deterrence by being able to strike ground and naval targets at up to 1000 km,” Blandin said.

Japan’s existing defense force, including its stand-off missile capability, is the “minimum necessary for self-defense,” Koizumi said, adding that these would only be used “in the event of an armed attack from another country … and it does not pose a threat to other countries.”

Analysts have raised worries that the U.S. Tomahawk stockpile may be strained after reports indicated that over 800 missiles were used in four weeks during Operation Epic Fury against Iran, and this might impact missile orders for allies, including Japan.

Blandin said Japan’s Tomahawk orders are unlikely to be affected immediately, but prolonged military campaigns in the Middle East could cause minor to moderate setbacks.

American manufacturer RTX, in a Feb. 4 press release, said it had signed five agreements with the U.S. Department of Defense to boost production and expedite deliveries of Land Attack and Maritime Strike variants of the Tomahawk cruise missiles, with annual production expected to increase to more than 1,000.

“No major impact expected in regards to Iran, as deliveries will not take place all at once but probably over the course of a few years,” Blandin said. “In any case, the U.S. will likely prioritize Japan as a key Indo-Pacific ally.”

On Sunday, the Philippines reported Chinese ships collided with a crewed military supply vessel escorted by two Coast Guard ships en route to BRP Sierra Madre, an actively commissioned ship by the disputed Second Thomas Shoal.

Philippine Army Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner said changes are geared toward protecting the country’s territories in the South China Sea, particularly Thitu Island. That land mass, called Pag-asa Island by the Philippines, is home to more than 400 Filipinos. It is also one of several disputed islands in the South China Sea.

The third phase of the military’s 15-year modernization plan, dubbed Horizon 3, includes the acquisition of multirole fighter jets, radars, two additional Jose Rizal-class frigates, missile systems, helicopters and the country’s first submarine fleet.

Initial plans also included acquiring additional BrahMos missiles and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems for the Army for coastal defense.

The modernization effort began in 2013, but budget limitations have delayed progress. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told lawmakers last month that 10% of Horizon 1, meant to take place from 2013 to 2018, and about 53% of Horizon 2, scheduled from 2018 to 2022, are complete.

“That is why we have to re-strategize, because the paradigms for Horizon 2 may not be valid anymore,” Teodoro said at the time.

However, in response to clashes between China and the Philippines in recent weeks, Manila is speeding up its acquisition plans, with the legislature earmarking 45 billion pesos (U.S. $793 million) in defense spending for 2024. Senators have relayed support in passing supplemental budgets for intelligence and materiel acquisitions related to South China Sea operations.

Last week, the Defense Department ordered three C-130J-30 Super Hercules tactical airlifters for delivery in 2026, according to a news release from Lockheed Martin. The Philippines is also expecting to receive two BrahMos missile units in December from India; more Acero-class gunboats next year under a deal with Israel; two new landing dock platforms from Indonesia next year; two corvettes from South Korea around the 2025 and 2026 time frame; and six offshore patrol vessels also from South Korea in 2028.

Horizon 3 requires 500 billion pesos spread out over the next six years, but it is unclear how the government intends to finance the program. However, some countries have offered assistance. For example, France pitched its Scorpene diesel-electric submarines as early as 2019, and its proposal includes helping the Philippines Navy develop its base in Zambales.

Others bidding to supply the Philippines with submarines include Spain, which submitted a $1.7 billion offer to supply two S-80-class sub, and South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean, which updated its proposal last month for two Jangbogo-III diesel-electric submarines.

While the Philippine military has yet to release its final plans for Horizon 3, the realignment will include less but “more potent” assets and platforms, according to Brawner. The materiel will align with the country’s forward-defense strategy, where threats are “pushed as further away as possible,” Brawner said, adding that the military’s goal is to immediately deploy fighter jets and other assets after reported encounters with Chinese vessels.

According to the country’s new territorial defense strategy released last week, the Philippines is placing particular importance on islands it claims as its own, including in what the government calls the West Philippine Sea, namely Thitu Island, Loaita Cay, West York Island, Flat Island and Nanshan Island.