MSDF destroyer becomes Japan's first ship capable of firing Tomahawk missiles

The Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Aegis destroyer Chokai has become Japan’s first vessel modified to carry and fire U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles. The Defense Ministry’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency announced that the ship successfully completed the necessary upgrades in the United States.

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi stated the new capability holds “great significance for reducing the possibility of an armed attack on Japan itself.” He added that standoff defense capabilities serve to make any adversary attempting to attack Japan clearly understand that such an attack will be decisively thwarted. The Tomahawk missiles have a range of roughly 1,600 kilometers. Japan agreed to purchase 400 of them in January 2024, with deliveries already underway.

The missiles integrate into the destroyer’s existing Mk-41 vertical launch system. Chokai still requires launch tests, crew training, and live-fire testing in the U.S. by summer 2026 before returning to Japan around September to reenter service.

All eight of Japan’s Aegis destroyers will eventually receive the missiles. The upgrade forms part of Japan’s development of counterstrike capabilities to deter attacks by striking enemy bases and command nodes from beyond defensive ranges.

Koizumi cited significantly strengthened missile arsenals among Japan’s neighbors as a driving factor, while emphasizing that the capabilities remain strictly for self-defense and do not threaten other countries.