The introduction of the Type 12 long-range cruise missile will be paramount for the JMSDF.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has been contracted to mass-produce long-range cruise missiles for Japan’s submarine fleet. According to a press release, Japan’s Ministry of Defense announced these twin contracts for the upgraded Type 12 anti-ship missile and the unnamed torpedo-tube-launched cruise missile. This announcement comes as Tokyo continues to bolster its defensive tactics amidst rising hostilities from Beijing and Pyongyang. “The Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces are strengthening their stand-off defense capabilities in order to intercept and eliminate invading forces against Japan at an early stage and at a long distance,” Japan’s Ministry of Defense stated, adding that “In order to quickly build and strengthen this capability, they are currently working to acquire domestically produced stand-off missiles as soon as possible.”

The Type 12 Missile

The Type 12 is an upgraded iteration of Japan’s previous Type 88 surface-to-ship missile. Considered to be of a new generation, this radar-reducing weapon’s range is roughly five times greater than that of its predecessor. This extended range gives Tokyo an edge in contested waters, as the missile system can threaten Chinese warships; for example, if positioned at Japanese-held islands, it enhances the nation’s anti-access-area-denial strategies. Overall, the addition of the submarine-launched Type 12 missile gives Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Forces (JMSDF) a new standoff capability to strike both adversarial sea-based and land targets simultaneously.

In addition to revealing this new twin contract with Mitsubishi this week, Japan also launched its latest Taigei-class diesel-electric attack submarine. The sixth submarine of this class, a whopping 3,000-ton vessel, has been designated as “Sogei” and officially set sail on October 14. Before the formidable Taigei submarines were introduced, Japan relied on its Soryu boats. However, in order to contend with an advancing Chinese navy, the JMSDF required a next-generation submarine class equipped with greater stealth, dive speed, and other new technologies. Specifically, the Taigei boats may not be nuclear-powered, but featuring lithium-iron batteries, these submarines enjoy faster recharger times, improved battery-discharge rates, and a high energy density.

As detailed by the US Naval Institute, these batteries are truly top-notch. “The results are enhanced silent operations, better speeds and sprints, longer underwater endurance, and significantly greater overall performance when compared with more conventional undersea submarines. The use of lithium-ion batteries also saves weight and complexity by making an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system unnecessary to extend the submarine’s underwater endurance.”

In terms of armament power, the Taigei submarines are lethal even without the addition of the Type 12 long-range cruise missile. The submarines in this class are currently equipped with six HU-606 533mm torpedo tubes, which are capable of launching Type 89 homing torpedoes and undertaking anti-submarine operations. While this capability is formidable, Japan’s current fleet does not possess a land-attack function. Considering this shortfall, the introduction of the long-range cruise missile will be paramount for the JMSDF. Today, Tokyo operates 23 submarines and plans to introduce at least four more boats of the Taigei class down the line.

About the Author: Maya Carlin

Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has bylines in many publications, including The National Interest, The Jerusalem Post, and The Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.

Image: By 海上自衛隊, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.

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