Type 25 Glide Missile Debuts at Fuji Firepower Drill

2026-06-07

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force on the 7th held the Fuji Firepower Exercise, the country's largest live-fire drill, at the East Fuji Maneuver Area in Shizuoka Prefecture. The Type 25 High-speed Glide Missile, deployed to the prefecture in March, took part and demonstrated counterstrike capability to deter enemies hundreds of kilometers away.

Defense minister cites security environment

Before the exercise, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told troops that 'Japan is now facing the harshest and most complex security environment since the end of World War II.' He added that 'establishing Japan's new way of defending itself is an urgent task.'

Firepower drill assumes defense of remote islands

The exercise was based on a scenario involving the defense of remote islands, and a vehicle-mounted launcher for the glide missile appeared. Although the drill showed the system in launch posture, no live firing was conducted, with footage released showing the launch. In contrast, tanks set to repel an enemy landing force and howitzers responsible for support fire used live ammunition.

The Type 25 High-speed Glide Missile is a long-range stand-off missile designed to target enemy units that have landed on remote islands. Because its warhead separates at high altitude and flies at supersonic speed, detection and interception are difficult. Its current range is about several hundred kilometers, but it is expected to be extended to several thousand kilometers in the future.

The Ground Self-Defense Force deployed the missile to Fuji Garrison in Shizuoka Prefecture in March. It plans to station the system at Kamifurano Garrison in Hokkaido and Ebino Garrison in Miyazaki Prefecture in fiscal 2026, aiming to disperse bases while expanding the area that can be defended. The goal is to maintain a posture that would allow retaliation from another base even if one garrison comes under attack.

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