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Japan’s Defense Ministry has begun transporting a surface-to-ship missile launcher and related equipment to the country’s easternmost island as part of preparations to deploy the system there for the first time, public broadcaster NHK reported Monday.
A Ground Self-Defense Force Type-12 surface-to-ship missile launcher and medium-sized drones used for target detection and tracking were loaded onto a privately operated ferry contracted by the ministry, according to the report.
The vessel departed Chiba Port near Tokyo on Monday morning and was headed for Minamitorishima Island in the Pacific Ocean.
The shipment is part of Japan’s plan to strengthen its defense capabilities on the Pacific side and prepare the island for future training with the Type-12 missile system.
No missile projectiles were included in the shipment, NHK reported.
The launcher, drones and related equipment will be used to test whether the systems operate properly under local conditions.
The current transport marks an early stage in preparations for a planned firing range on the island.
The Type-12 surface-to-ship missile system has a range of over 100 kilometers (62.1 miles).
Authorities plan to use the island for live-fire exercises during fiscal 2027, which runs from April 1, 2027, through March 31, 2028.
Minamitorishima is part of Tokyo’s Ogasawara island chain and lies about 2,000 kilometers, or 1,242 miles, southeast of Japan’s main island of Honshu.
Its remote location makes it one of Japan’s most isolated outposts in the Pacific Ocean.
The island has no permanent civilian population.
However, personnel from Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force and workers from the Japan Meteorological Agency are stationed there.
Japan plans to develop the firing range as part of broader efforts to reinforce its defensive posture on the Pacific side.
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