Overview
- A truck-mounted Type-25 launcher was shown moving into firing position during Keen Sword, which occurred Sunday, Oct. 25, and Japan's Joint Staff said the vehicle carried no live missiles.
- The on-site drill highlighted rapid emplacement: troops brought the launcher to a prepared site and moved it into firing posture in under two minutes.
- Manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the Type-25 is a four-tube, vehicle-mounted surface-to-ship missile with reported range near 1,000 kilometers, which could put parts of China’s coast and North Korea within reach from Kyushu.
- The demonstration took place inside the large Japan–U.S. Keen Sword exercise that includes U.S. forward deployments and partner nations and is intended to test mobility, deterrence and allied integration.
- Defence commentators and officials note the move follows Japan's 2022 policy change allowing counterstrike weapons and warn that use rules, legal limits and the risk of miscalculation could raise regional tensions and prompt closer monitoring of future deployments.