Berk Kutay Gökmen
12 June 2025•Update: 12 June 2025
ISTANBUL
China said Wednesday that Japan’s testing of new Type 12 surface-to-ship missiles was “breaking the restrictions of the pacifist constitution that the Japanese Self-Defense Forces cannot possess offensive weapons.”
A commentary in the military newspaper the People’s Liberation Army Daily said the increased missile range would serve as “a real deterrent to multiple surrounding areas,” the South China Morning Post reported.
Japan’s pacifist constitution was established following its defeat in World War II.
The missiles were tested during an annual live-fire exercise near Mount Fuji on Sunday.
According to Japanese media reports, the upgraded Type 12 surface-to-ship missiles and the hypersonic Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile (HVGP) will be deployed in Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost main island, while the HVGP may also be stationed in Hokkaido in the north.
“In fact, rather than enhancing its defense capabilities, Japan has been leaping toward ‘first strike capabilities’ in the name of building so-called ‘counter strike capabilities’,” the PLA Daily said, criticizing Japan’s military buildup.
The new Type 12 surface-to-ship missiles have an approximate range of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) and the HVGP Block 1 can reach 900 kilometers (559 miles) while traveling at speeds exceeding Mach 5.
Japan, which has been following a pacifist post-World War II constitution since 1947, had long capped its defense budget at around 1% of its GDP, or around 5 trillion yen ($33.5 billion).
But in recent years, it has raised the defense budget toward a goal of 2% of GDP in 2027 amid growing security challenges posed by China and North Korea.
