Breaking News: Japan Conducts First Live Fire of Type 12 Anti-Ship Missile Outside of Japan in Australia.

Talisman Sabre 2025, held from July 13 to August 4, 2025, across multiple Australian training sites, witnessed a historic milestone in the evolution of Japan’s defense posture. For the first time ever, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) conducted a live-fire exercise of its Type 12 Surface-to-Ship Missile system on foreign soil. The operation was executed by the elite Second Artillery Brigade at the Beecroft Weapons Range in New South Wales, marking a decisive advancement in Japan’s capacity to deploy precision coastal defense assets abroad. The event unfolded under the framework of the U.S.-Australia-led multinational exercise, which involved over 35,000 troops from 19 countries in joint high-intensity operations across land, sea, air, space, and cyber domains.
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The 2nd Artillery Brigade of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force conducts the first overseas test fire of the Type 12 surface-to-ship missile at Beecroft Weapons Range in New South Wales, Australia, during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025. (Picture source: Australia MoD)

The JGSDF (Japan Ground Self-Defense Force) Second Artillery Brigade, based at Camp Katsuta in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, is the premier long-range missile unit of the Japanese Army. Tasked with coastal and anti-ship defense, the brigade is equipped with state-of-the-art Type 12 missile systems designed to protect Japan’s maritime approaches, particularly in contested zones such as the Nansei Islands and along the East China Sea. This brigade plays a central role in Japan’s anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) strategy and is increasingly trained and equipped to conduct rapid overseas deployments in partnership with allied forces. Its participation in Talisman Sabre confirms Japan’s strategic shift toward a more mobile and proactive ground force able to contribute to regional security far beyond its national borders.

The Type 12 Surface-to-Ship Missile system, developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, represents the cutting edge of Japan’s coastal defense capability. It is an advanced ground-launched anti-ship missile featuring an inertial navigation system enhanced by GPS, and supports mid-course guidance via datalink for precision terminal targeting. Originally designed with a range of approximately 200 kilometers, upgraded variants of the missile now reportedly exceed 400 kilometers in reach. The system is mounted on high-mobility 6x6 or 8x8 wheeled launchers, allowing rapid repositioning and tactical concealment. With automatic fire control and rapid targeting systems, the Type 12 can launch salvos capable of overwhelming enemy shipboard defenses and is tailored for distributed coastal warfare scenarios.

This first overseas launch of the Type 12 served not only to validate the system’s technical performance in foreign terrain but also to test Japan’s ability to deploy and operate it as part of a larger allied force. The missile successfully struck a simulated maritime target, demonstrating both the JGSDF’s long-range precision strike capability and its seamless integration into a complex multinational battle environment. This capability significantly enhances Japan’s contribution to coalition maritime denial operations and supports broader deterrence initiatives in the region.

The joint deployment and operational success of the Type 12 during Talisman Sabre underscore Japan’s growing strategic alignment with Australia and the United States. This trilateral cooperation reflects a shared concern over increasing Chinese assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in contested waters of the South and East China Seas. China's rapid naval expansion and the militarization of artificial islands pose direct threats to sea lanes and regional stability. In response, Japan is reinforcing its role as a forward-leaning security partner capable of defending shared interests through credible force projection.

By training alongside Australian forces and deploying advanced missile units on Australian territory, Japan sends a strong political and military message about its commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The exercise demonstrates that Japan is no longer confined to homeland-only operations, but is prepared to support multinational efforts aimed at deterring aggression and defending strategic maritime routes. In the evolving Indo-Pacific security architecture, Japan’s ability to bring high-end capabilities like the Type 12 missile system into joint operations with partners such as Australia enhances not only its own defense resilience but also contributes meaningfully to regional strategic balance.

Talisman Sabre 2025 has thus emerged not only as a large-scale military drill but as a platform for Japan to reveal its maturing force projection capabilities. The deployment of the Second Artillery Brigade and the successful live-fire of the Type 12 missile system abroad represent a concrete step in Tokyo’s transformation from a purely defensive posture to one that actively supports deterrence, stability, and freedom of navigation across the Indo-Pacific theater.