Japan Sends its First Destroyer to U.S. for Tomahawk Missile Installation

The Japan Ministry of Defense has announced the deployment of the destroyer JS Chōkai to the United States as part of a program to equip the ship with Tomahawk cruise missiles.

The mission will last from late September 2025 to mid-September 2026.

This move is part of a strategy to strengthen Japan’s defense capabilities – specifically its ability to eliminate threats at long range. In order to achieve this, Japan plans to purchase American-made Tomahawk missiles between 2025 and 2027.

The Kongō-class destroyer JS Chōkai will become one of the first Japanese ships to gain the ability to launch Tomahawk missiles. In the United States it will undergo upgrades and crew training with the support of the U.S. Navy.

The ship is expected to be technically ready for operational use of the new weapon by the end of 2025.

Test launches are planned for the summer of 2026 to assess the crew’s readiness for real combat missions.

Prior to departure, on September 25th, training exercises involving the loading of mock missiles were conducted at the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s JMSDF Yokosuka naval base.