The destroyer Chokaifrom the class Kongobecame the first ship in this group in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force to receive the capability to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles, in yet another concrete move by Tokyo to expand its deterrence power in the Indo-Pacific.
According to the Japanese Ministry of Defense, the ship completed its modernization at a shipyard in the United States and is expected to return to Japanese territory in mid-September, after carrying out live fire exercises. THE Chokai it had been sent to the USA in October 2025 precisely to undergo the update.
The incorporation of the Tomahawk into the Japanese destroyer is part of the country’s new defense strategy, which seeks to provide its naval forces with the means to neutralize threats at long distances. The Maritime Self-Defense Force’s plan envisages equipping all eight Aegis destroyers currently in operation with the American missile: four of the Kongo class, two of the Atago class and two of the Maya class.
In addition to the ships already in service, Japan also intends to integrate the Tomahawk into the program’s two future ships. Aegis System Equipped Vessel (ASEV), currently under construction. The measure reinforces the intention of creating a naval architecture with greater offensive reach and better response capacity in the face of the increasingly tense strategic environment around the archipelago.
To make this expansion possible, Tokyo agreed to purchase 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States in a package estimated at US$2.35 billion. The sale was approved by the US State Department in November 2023, while the agreement was formalized in 2024.
In the same year, Japan also signed an additional contract to acquire 200 Block IV missiles directly from United States Armed Forces stocks. The decision was taken amid increased activity by the Chinese fleet in the region, a factor that increased risk perception and accelerated the need to reinforce long-range precision attack capabilities.
The Tomahawk, however, is treated as an intermediate solution. The Japanese objective is to use the system until the country is able to receive, on an adequate scale, the national 12SSM-ER missiles. The contract to begin mass production of this domestic weapon was signed in September 2025.
With the modernization of the Chokai, Japan takes an important step in transforming its strategic posture, expanding the power projection capacity of its fleet and consolidating a more robust defense doctrine amid growing military competition in the Indo-Pacific.
Source and images: Japanese Ministry of Defense | US Navy. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
