{"id":176799,"date":"2026-03-31T11:40:51","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T02:40:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/?post_type=news&#038;p=176799&#038;lang=en"},"modified":"2026-03-31T11:50:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T02:50:18","slug":"japan-deploys-long-range-missiles","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/news\/japan-deploys-long-range-missiles\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan Deploys Long-Range Missiles"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Japan\u2019s Ministry of Defense began deploying two types of long-range missiles on March 31 to Ground Self-Defense Force bases in Kumamoto and Shizuoka, marking a shift toward operational counterstrike capability. An upgraded Type-12 surface-to-ship missile, with a range of about 1,000 kilometers, was deployed at Camp Kengun in Kumamoto City, while a hypersonic glide projectile designed to target invading forces on remote islands was stationed at Camp Fuji in Shizuoka Prefecture. The missiles will be operated under a unified command integrating the Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defense Forces. Officials said U.S. intelligence support may be required for distant targets, indicating closer bilateral coordination. The deployment represents a significant change in Japan\u2019s postwar security policy. <strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/news.web.nhk\/newsweb\/na\/nb-5010032577\" target=\"_blank\">NHK News<\/a> \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sankei.com\/article\/20260330-KV5FRY4FMNJWZOAK4XSB563YII\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Sankei Shimbun<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fnn_jgsdf-kumamoto-missiles_2026_cl.jpg?resize=1244%2C684&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1244\" height=\"684\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-176800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fnn_jgsdf-kumamoto-missiles_2026_cl.jpg?w=1244&amp;ssl=1 1244w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fnn_jgsdf-kumamoto-missiles_2026_cl.jpg?resize=300%2C165&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fnn_jgsdf-kumamoto-missiles_2026_cl.jpg?resize=1024%2C563&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fnn_jgsdf-kumamoto-missiles_2026_cl.jpg?resize=768%2C422&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/>Photo: NHK News<\/p>\n<p>Stay informed with the latest Fukuoka &#038; Kyushu news and events in English. Sign up for our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/mailmagazine\/\">free weekly newsletter<\/a> today and never miss a beat. Opt out anytime, your privacy is our priority. Get the inside scoop with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/mailmagazine\/\">The Now<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Summaries based on public content, errors may occur during translation. Images credited independently. Send feedback using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/contact\/\">this <strong>form<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Japan\u2019s Ministry of Defense began deploying two types of long-range missiles on March 31 to Ground Self-Defense Force bases in Kumamoto and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30292,"featured_media":176800,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[],"class_list":["post-176799","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","location-kumamoto-prefecture","news-category-politics","en-US"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/176799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30292"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176799"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}