Japan Awards Contracts Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for New Long-Range Missiles
Japan’s Ministry of Defense has awarded Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) a contract to mass-produce variants of the Type 12 long-range missile. . The agreements were signed in early October 2025 and are worth roughly ¥25 billion ($165 million) and ¥2.9 billion ($19.14 million) for the extended-range Type 12 variant and for the submarine missile system respectively. These moves are part of Japan’s push to strengthen stand-off strike capabilities amid growing threats from China and North Korea. The Defense Ministry states that the deals will enable the Self-Defense Forces to “intercept and eliminate invading forces at an early stage and at a long distance” by quickly fielding domestically produced long-range missiles.
The enhanced Type 12 missile, also known as the 12SSM-ER, will have a significantly longer range and a stealthier profile than earlier versions. The upgraded Type 12 can reach at least 900 kilometers (about 560 miles) – roughly four times the original 200km range – and may ultimately approach 1,200km according to Japan’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA). Its airframe has been reshaped to reduce radar cross-section and improve survivability, and it will also gain precision land-attack capability. Japan’s defense ministry frames this ship-launched Type 12 ER as “the future mainstay of [its] long-range strike posture at sea,” strengthening deterrence against hostile forces at greater distances. Mass production under the new contract is planned to begin in time to achieve operational deployment around fiscal year 2027. A surface-to-ship variant of the Type 12 was also confirmed back in June.
The second contract covers a new submarine-launched cruise missile, expected to be launched from torpedo tubes on the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s (JMSDF) attack submarines. Exact details are classified, but the weapon is widely thought to draw on the Type 12’s technology for long-range and land-attack capability. By launching from depth, it will give Japan’s subs a stealthy strike option against both enemy ships and shore targets. The Defense Ministry did not publish a service entry date but the submarine missile could begin deployment in the late 2020s (around 2028). These weapons will diversify Japan’s magazines and help ensure its forces can hit adversaries well before they can threaten the home islands.
These contract awards fit within Japan’s broader missile modernization program. A new Defense White Paper calls for building up standoff defenses that can defeat invading forces – including ships and landing parties – from beyond the range of enemy fire. Rapidly fielding long-range domestic missiles is essential to this goal. Tokyo aims to counter potential threats and bolster stability in the increasingly tense Indo-Pacific security environment by equipping its destroyers and submarines with advanced Type 12 cruise missiles.