Photo taken on March 17, shows a launcher for an upgraded Type 12 land-to-ship guided missile on display at the Ground Self-Defense Force's Camp Kengun in Kumamoto Prefecture. — KYODO/VNA Photo

TOKYO — Japan's Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that long-range missiles with counterstrike capabilities have been brought into service at two Ground Self-Defence Force bases in the country.

The deployment of the missiles at Camp Kengun in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, and Camp Fuji in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, marks a shift from the country's exclusively defence-oriented policy under its war-renouncing Constitution.

While the ministry maintains the systems are essential for strengthening deterrence amid changes in the regional security environment, residents are concerned that the deployment sites could become targets in the event of a conflict.

According to the ministry, Camp Kengun has been equipped with a ground-launched version of the upgraded Type 12 land-to-ship guided missile that can fly about 1,000km and reach parts of the continental coastline from the Kyushu region.

Meanwhile, a training unit at Camp Fuji has been equipped with hyper velocity gliding projectiles for the defence of remote islands. Operational methods will be studied there, with plans to deploy the missiles in fiscal 2026 to Camp Kamifurano in Hokkaido and Camp Ebino in Miyazaki Prefecture in the Kyushu region.

According to sources familiar with the matter, the currently deployed model has a range of several hundred kilometers, with the ministry working to upgrade it to around 2,000km.

The possession of counterstrike capabilities was formally spelled out in three revised security documents in 2022 under then Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government.

The ministry plans to continue deploying long-range missiles to equip various units with strike capabilities. On Friday, the Maritime Self-Defence Force's Aegis-equipped Chokai destroyer acquired the capability to launch U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles.

The MSDF destroyer Teruzuki, based in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture near Tokyo, and F-2 fighter jets at the Air Self-Defence Force's Hyakuri Air Base in Ibaraki Prefecture are also scheduled to be equipped with Type 12 missiles. Deliveries have also begun for long-range Joint Strike Missiles to be loaded on F-35A stealth fighter jets. — KYODO