The Japanese Ministry of Defense has announced that the JS Chōkai (DDG-176) has completed crew training and ship modification, enabling the employment of RGM-109 Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles.
The Chōkai, a Kongō-class destroyer, has been present at the home port of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet Surface Navy in San Diego, California, since October of 2025, where she has undergone the requisite modifications to enable the ship to fire Tomahawk cruise missiles. Following Chōkai’s completion of Tomahawk modifications and required crew training, it has also been announced that the vessel will conduct live fire drills sometime this summer to fully complete weapon implementation.
Chōkai‘s modification comes after the purchase of 400 Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles in 2024, with an even split of 200 Block IV and 200 Block V missiles. Block IV missiles feature a data link, allowing for changes in the flight pattern or target selection mid-flight, with the Block V missiles improving on the Block IV framework by updating communications and guidance capabilities.
The Tomahawks are some of the longest range weapons in Japanese Self-Defense Force inventory, capable of reaching targets at over 1,000 kilometers of range, with the missiles stated as being a part of a change in doctrine, allowing for preemptive strikes against potential intrusions against Japanese islands, as well as potential counter-strikes on previously out of reach targets.
Chōkai will serve as the first Tomahawk launch platform in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). Naval News previously reported the cruise missile will be fitted aboard four classes of JMSDF Aegis-equipped destroyers:
A Shipbuilding Renaissance
Modifications to allow the carriage of Tomahawks aboard 8 Aegis DDGs has been just one leg of an increasingly large effort to recapitalize and revolutionize the JMSDF’s capabilities in the 2020s. Within this modernization and expansion, the underlying goal has been to reassert Japanese ownership over it’s outlying islands and to reinforce it’s sovereignty amidst an increasingly militarily powerful and aggressive China.
Since 2022, the JMSDF has inducted 8 of 12 Mogami-class multi-role stealth Frigates, with only a roughly 14-17 month period between the laying of the keel and induction into service, with the 12th hull recently hitting the water. Following the Mogami-class, an upgraded Frigate is already in development, featuring a 100% improvement in VLS capacity to 32 strike length cells from the 16 cells on the base Mogami-class, in addition to upgraded Type-12 Anti-Ship missiles, and the indigenous developed A-SAM, all fielded at an increase in displacement of ~4,800 ton.
Under the surface, 5 Taigei-class submarines have entered the JMSDF since 2022, with a total of 10 boats to join the 12 Sōryū-class boats already in service. These submarines feature air-independent propulsion in the form of a Kawasaki produced diesel electric power plant paired with improved lithium-ion batteries. For armament, 6x 533mm torpedo tubes can fire UGM-84L Harpoon Anti-ship missiles, and the Type-18 Heavyweight Torpedo.
Newest in production, the Aegis System Equipped Vessels (ASEV) are Japan’s largest surface combatant at a stated 12,000 tonnes, with an emphasis on Ballistic Missile Defense. Following the need to cover for the cancellation for Aegis Ashore installations, titans will have 128 MK-41 VLS cells paired with the improved AN/SPY-7 radar with supplementary surface strike, fleet air defense, and anti-submarine warfare capabilities.