Japan’s Military Moves From Shield to Spear

Earlier this week, Japan deployed its first long-range missiles to a military base in the country’s southwest. The missiles can reach targets up to 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) away, which would include bases in mainland China.

This marks the first time in Japan’s history that it has adopted the offensive capability to strike enemy assets from afar, as the country’s forces have until now been limited to self-defense. It is a fundamental change for Japan—one with important regional and political ramifications—but also one that has been long in the making.

Japan’s U.S.-drafted 1947 constitution famously renounces the use of military force except as necessary for self-defense, though in practice, successive Japanese governments have adjusted their legal interpretation of what is permissible. Officials in Tokyo have viewed this evolution as a response to security threats emanating from neighbors like North Korea and China, and as a way to deepen cooperation with the country’s only treaty ally, the United States.