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[Breaking News]Long-range missile launcher to be put into service in Japan

KUMAMOTO, Japan, March 17 Kyodo -Video taken on March 17, 2026, shows a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force long-range missile launcher at GSDF Camp Kengun in Kumamoto, southwestern Japan, unveiled to local politicians and the media. The Type 12 surface-to-ship missile, which can fly about 1,000 kilometers and is deemed to have counterattack capabilities, will be put into service at the camp on March 31, marking a turning point in Japan's exclusively defense-oriented postwar security policy. (Kyodo)

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Long-range missile launcher to be put into service in Japan

Photo taken on March 17, 2026, shows a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force long-range missile launcher at GSDF Camp Kengun in Kumamoto, southwestern Japan, unveiled to local politicians and the media. The Type 12 surface-to-ship missile, which can fly about 1,000 kilometers and is deemed to have counterattack capabilities, will be put into service at the camp on March 31, marking a turning point in Japan's exclusively defense-oriented postwar security policy.

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Long-range missile launcher to be put into service in Japan

Photo taken on March 17, 2026, shows a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force long-range missile launcher at GSDF Camp Kengun in Kumamoto, southwestern Japan, unveiled to local politicians and the media. The Type 12 surface-to-ship missile, which can fly about 1,000 kilometers and is deemed to have counterattack capabilities, will be put into service at the camp on March 31, marking a turning point in Japan's exclusively defense-oriented postwar security policy.

E

Long-range missile launcher to be put into service in Japan

Photo taken on March 17, 2026, shows a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force long-range missile launcher at GSDF Camp Kengun in Kumamoto, southwestern Japan, unveiled to local politicians and the media. The Type 12 surface-to-ship missile, which can fly about 1,000 kilometers and is deemed to have counterattack capabilities, will be put into service at the camp on March 31, marking a turning point in Japan's exclusively defense-oriented postwar security policy.

E

Long-range missile launcher to be put into service in Japan

Photo taken on March 17, 2026, shows a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force long-range missile launcher at GSDF Camp Kengun in Kumamoto, southwestern Japan, unveiled to local politicians and the media. The Type 12 surface-to-ship missile, which can fly about 1,000 kilometers and is deemed to have counterattack capabilities, will be put into service at the camp on March 31, marking a turning point in Japan's exclusively defense-oriented postwar security policy.

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Long-range missile launcher to be deployed in Japan

People protest near Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Camp Kengun in Kumamoto, southwestern Japan, on the evening of March 8, 2026, ahead of the scheduled arrival of a GSDF vehicle carrying a long-range missile launcher. The Type 12 surface-to-ship missile, which can fly about 1,000 kilometers and is deemed to have counterattack capability, will be deployed at the camp by the end of March, marking a turning point in Japan's exclusively defense-oriented postwar security policy.

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Long-range missile launcher to be deployed in Japan

A Japan Ground Self-Defense Force vehicle carrying a long-range missile launcher arrives at GSDF Camp Kengun in Kumamoto, southwestern Japan, in the early hours of March 9, 2026. The Type 12 surface-to-ship missile, which can fly about 1,000 kilometers and is deemed to have counterattack capability, will be deployed at the camp by the end of March, marking a turning point in Japan's exclusively defense-oriented postwar security policy.

E

Long-range missile launcher to be deployed in Japan

A Japan Ground Self-Defense Force vehicle carrying a long-range missile launcher arrives at GSDF Camp Kengun in Kumamoto, southwestern Japan, in the early hours of March 9, 2026. The Type 12 surface-to-ship missile, which can fly about 1,000 kilometers and is deemed to have counterattack capability, will be deployed at the camp by the end of March, marking a turning point in Japan's exclusively defense-oriented postwar security policy.

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Long-range missile launcher to be deployed in Japan

Police officers stand guard near Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Camp Kengun in Kumamoto, southwestern Japan, on the evening of March 8, 2026, ahead of the scheduled arrival of a GSDF vehicle carrying a long-range missile launcher. The Type 12 surface-to-ship missile, which can fly about 1,000 kilometers and is deemed to have counterattack capability, will be deployed at the camp by the end of March, marking a turning point in Japan's exclusively defense-oriented postwar security policy.

E

Long-range missile launcher to be deployed in Japan

A Japan Ground Self-Defense Force vehicle carrying a long-range missile launcher arrives at GSDF Camp Kengun in Kumamoto, southwestern Japan, in the early hours of March 9, 2026. The Type 12 surface-to-ship missile, which can fly about 1,000 kilometers and is deemed to have counterattack capability, will be deployed at the camp by the end of March, marking a turning point in Japan's exclusively defense-oriented postwar security policy.

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JCG's oldest patrol boat retires

A ceremony to decommission the Japan Coast Guard's oldest active patrol vessel, the icebreaker Soya, is held in Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Nov. 12, 2025, after 47 years in operation. The 3,100-ton ship traveled about 1.91 million kilometers, equivalent to 48 trips around the Earth, and rescued over 1,450 people in more than 600 shipwreck cases.

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JCG's oldest patrol boat retires

A ceremony to decommission the Japan Coast Guard's oldest active patrol vessel, the icebreaker Soya, is held in Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Nov. 12, 2025, after 47 years in operation. The 3,100-ton ship traveled about 1.91 million kilometers, equivalent to 48 trips around the Earth, and rescued over 1,450 people in more than 600 shipwreck cases.

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JCG's oldest patrol boat retires

The icebreaker Soya's logo is painted over as a ceremony to decommission the ship, the Japan Coast Guard's oldest active patrol vessel, is held in Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Nov. 12, 2025, after 47 years in operation. The 3,100-ton ship traveled about 1.91 million kilometers, equivalent to 48 trips around the Earth, and rescued over 1,450 people in more than 600 shipwreck cases.

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JCG's oldest patrol boat retires

A ceremony to decommission the Japan Coast Guard's oldest active patrol vessel, the icebreaker Soya, is held in Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Nov. 12, 2025, after 47 years in operation. The 3,100-ton ship traveled about 1.91 million kilometers, equivalent to 48 trips around the Earth, and rescued over 1,450 people in more than 600 shipwreck cases.

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JCG's oldest patrol boat retires

A ceremony to decommission the Japan Coast Guard's oldest active patrol vessel, the icebreaker Soya, is held in Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Nov. 12, 2025, after 47 years in operation. The 3,100-ton ship traveled about 1.91 million kilometers, equivalent to 48 trips around the Earth, and rescued over 1,450 people in more than 600 shipwreck cases.

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JCG's oldest patrol boat departs for final voyage

The Japan Coast Guard's oldest active patrol vessel, the icebreaker Soya, departs from its home port of Kushiro in Hokkaido, northern Japan, on Nov. 4, 2025, for its final voyage after 47 years in operation. The 3,100-ton ship will be decommissioned on Nov. 12 after traveling about 1.91 million kilometers, equivalent to 48 trips around the Earth

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JCG's oldest patrol boat departs for final voyage

The Japan Coast Guard's oldest active patrol vessel, the icebreaker Soya, departs from its home port of Kushiro in Hokkaido, northern Japan, on Nov. 4, 2025, for its final voyage after 47 years in operation. The 3,100-ton ship will be decommissioned on Nov. 12 after traveling about 1.91 million kilometers, equivalent to 48 trips around the Earth.

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