Breaking News: Japan Conducts First Ever Type 88 Anti-Ship Missile Test-Fire on Home Territory.

According to information published by Japanese newspaper The Japan Times, on June 25, 2025, Japan successfully conducted the first-ever live-fire test of the Type 88 surface-to-ship missile on its own territory. The test took place on June 24 at the Shizunai Anti-Air Firing Range in Hokkaido and involved around 300 personnel from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s 1st Artillery Brigade. The missile, a training variant, targeted an unmanned vessel positioned approximately 40 kilometers off Hokkaido’s southern coast and achieved a direct strike, demonstrating the operational precision of this domestically produced system.
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Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force launches a Type 88 surface-to-ship missile during its first-ever test-fire on home territory at the Shizunai Anti-Air Firing Range in Hokkaido on June 24, 2025, targeting an unmanned vessel 40 kilometers offshore. (Picture source: Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force )

The Type 88 Surface-to-Ship Missile, also referred to as the SSM-1, represents a core component of Japan’s coastal defense strategy. Deployed on an 8x8 truck-based launcher, the missile system provides exceptional mobility, allowing rapid redeployment across Japan’s island-dense geography. The missile is powered by a solid-fuel booster and a turbojet engine, offering a maximum range of up to 180 kilometers. During its flight, the Type 88 uses an inertial navigation system for mid-course guidance and transitions to an active radar seeker in the terminal phase. It flies at low altitude in a sea-skimming trajectory, minimizing radar detection and increasing the chance of penetrating enemy ship defenses.

This marked the first time a system of this type was test-fired from Japanese territory, making the event both technologically and strategically significant. It reflects Japan’s evolving defense posture and the urgent need to validate its homegrown capabilities within national borders. The exercise also serves as a direct response to growing maritime pressures in the region. China’s ongoing intrusions around the disputed Senkaku Islands and Russia’s intensified naval activities near the Northern Territories and the Sea of Okhotsk have heightened Tokyo’s sense of vulnerability, prompting a reinforcement of deterrent measures.

Conducting the test on Japanese soil is a clear demonstration of operational readiness and self-reliant defense development. The Type 88 missile system supports Japan’s anti-access and area denial strategy by providing rapid-response firepower across key maritime chokepoints. It also plays a central role in the Ground Self-Defense Force’s emerging island defense doctrine, enabling joint operations with air and naval units to secure remote territories. The platform is currently undergoing enhancements that will include better resistance to electronic warfare, networked targeting capabilities, and integration with future unmanned reconnaissance assets.

The ability to deploy and test such systems domestically strengthens Japan’s sovereignty over its defense infrastructure and sends a deliberate message to both regional adversaries and allies. As strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific intensifies, Japan is positioning itself as a technologically advanced and operationally capable actor committed to maintaining the balance of power and safeguarding its territorial integrity with precision, speed, and resilience.