The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is testing a shipborne railgun under development by Ministry of Defense’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency.
On April 9, Self-Defense Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Katsushi Omachi, visited test ship JS Asuka (ASE-6102) to observe the status of the railgun. Asuka is assigned to Fleet Research and Development Command, with the command also falling under Self-Defense Fleet Command.
“In preparation for future combat, the Self Defense Fleet promotes research, development and earlier introduction of equipment necessary for the JMSDF in close collaboration with the ATLA and other organizations, as well as continues to build up its defense posture to protect Japanese citizens and the territorial waters,” reads the release which included a picture of the railgun but provided no further details of the weapons system.
Japanese ship spotters had posted pics of Asuka sporting the railgun while docked at Yokosuka Naval Base on April 9 and left the base on April 10 to conduct trials.
ATLA had announced in October 2023 that it had carried the first ship board firing test of a railgun. Japan’s FY2024 defense budget allocated US $167.1 million for research on a future railgun “capable of firing projectiles at high muzzle velocity to improve the intercepting capability against various airborne threats.”, stated the FY2024 budget entry. The FY2025 budget document made no mention of the program and it is assumed that the FY2024 allocation is for a multi-year research program.
Last week, Japan Defense Minister Gen Nakatani announced that from July 9, JGSDF Ospreys, currently based at Camp Kisarazu would relocate to a permanent base at Camp Saga, located next to Saga Airport. Kisarazu is located on the coastline of Tokyo Bay on the main island of Honshu and lies around 45 miles away from the capital of Tokyo. Saga lies in the northwest part of the main island of Kyushu.
The Japanese Defense Minister said that the relocation of the Ospreys was to enable them to operate in unison with the ARBD based at Camp Ainoura, Sasebo, in Nagasaki Prefecture, “Currently, we are working on the preparation of facilities necessary for the relocation of the Ospreys in preparation for the opening of the garrison, and construction is progressing smoothly toward completion by the end of June this year.”, said Nakatani, adding that the base would be opened on July 9.
With the base’s opening, the JGSDF Air Transport Squadron, which operates the Ospreys, will relocate to Saga from that date, with Ospreys flown to the base one by one, with flight safety being the main priority and the redeployment completed in mid-August, said Nakatani.
The JGSDF Ospreys had been temporarily based at Camp Kisarazu since Jul.10, 2020, owing to delays in beginning construction of Camp Saga with the deployment agreed with the local government to be set for a five year period. Since 2017, Camp Kisarazu also host a joint U.S. – Japan depot level maintenance facility for JGSDF Ospreys and U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Ospreys based in Japan.
In a Friday press conference, Nakatani stated that the joint Osprey maintenance facility will remain at Kisarazu and there were no plans to relocate the facility or establish additional Osprey maintenance facilities.
Japan is the sole operator of the Osprey outside of the U.S. military and the operations of both JGSDF and U.S. Ospreys around Japan have been a source of concern and dissent by segments of the Japanese public along with Okinawa governor Denny Tamaki, who on numerous occasions has raised concerns on the operations of U.S. Marine Corps Ospreys around Okinawa. An Air Force Special Operations CV-22B crash in November 2023 off Yakushima Island near Kyushu also added to opposition to Osprey operations in Japan.
Plans to base the Ospreys at Saga date back to 2018 but opposition by local fisheries due to pollution concerns and its effect on the local fishing industry due to the construction and operation of the base and the willingness of landowners to sell the privately owned land for the base delayed construction of the base to its current status.
The deployment of the Ospreys in close proximity with the ARDB allows Japan to rapidly respond to any crisis situation in its southwest islands with the region becoming a strategic concern owing to the Japan held Senkaku Islands being claimed by China. The waters in the area are seeing increased Chinese military activity and its proximity to Taiwan.
