Particle.news
Download on the App Store
3 ARTICLES
·
2h ago

Japan Sends Destroyer Chokai to U.S. for Tomahawk Upgrades and Training

The yearlong deployment signals an accelerated push to field long-range standoff strike under closer U.S.–Japan naval cooperation.

The Japanese destroyer JS Chokai conducts dummy Tomahawk missile-loading training at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, on September 25, 2025.
The JS Chokai will spend a year in San Diego learning how to use American-made Tomahawk cruise missiles. Image courtesy of US Navy

Overview

  • JS Chokai departed Yokosuka for San Diego on a September 2025–September 2026 deployment to receive modifications and crew training for Tomahawk operations, the Japanese Defense Ministry said.
  • Before sailing, the destroyer conducted Tomahawk dummy-loading drills at Yokosuka with U.S. Navy support to validate procedures and safety management.
  • Japan expects Chokai to achieve Tomahawk launch capability during fiscal 2025 and to conduct live-fire tests around summer 2026 to confirm readiness.
  • Tokyo is acquiring 400 Tomahawk missiles with deliveries scheduled between fiscal 2025 and 2027 after moving the timeline forward by one year in response to a worsening security environment.
  • Chokai will be the first JMSDF Aegis destroyer to operate Tomahawks, with plans to modify seven other Aegis destroyers and two Aegis System Equipped Vessels as U.S. Navy training of Japanese crews continues.