Japan Receives Kongsberg Joint Strike Missiles And Tomahawk Cruise Missiles

JAPAN has taken delivery of its first Joint Strike Missiles (JSM) from Norway’s Kongsberg as well as the American-made Tomahawk cruise missiles.

A Kongsberg social media post stated that the delivery of JSM missiles to Japan took place in Oslo, Norway at Gardermoen air base with Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) Air Staff Office Logistics Department Director General Major General Kunihiro Fujinaga and President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace Eirik Lie as well as representatives from the Royal Norwegian Air Force and Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency.

The JSM is a 5th generation stealth air-to surface (ASM) stand-off missile, which can be carried internally in the JASDF’s Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II, thus ensuring the aircraft’s low-signature capabilities.  Japan was the first international JSM customer, and has since been joined by the US, Australia and Germany, in addition to Norway. Last December, Japan entered a fifth follow-on contract with Kongsberg valued at US$83.4 million for more JSMs.

“Its acceptance, made possible through the efforts of both countries, represents one of the tangible outcomes of defence exchanges between Japan and Norway,” a Japan Ministry of Defence (MOD) statement read. This deployment marked a rapid deepening of defence cooperation and exchanges between Japan and Norway, following the visit to Japan in 2025 by the Royal Norwegian Navy frigate HNoMS Roald Amundsen and the first-ever joint training conducted with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).

The missiles were transported back to Japan via a JASDF KC-767 tanker/transport aircraft which was deployed to Norway for the first time. During this deployment, a unit-level exchange was conducted with the air transport unit of Royal Norwegian Air Force.

Japanese media also reported that the country has also begun taking delivery of Tomahawk cruise missiles according to defence minister Shinjiro Koizumi. The Tomahawks have a maximum range of 1,600km and “help deter armed attacks”.

The Tomahawks are also expected to be deployed onboard the JMSDF’s Kongo-class destroyer JS Chokai equipped with the Aegis Combat System, becoming the first Tomahawk-capable Japanese vessel. Furthermore, the Chokai was reported to likely conduct a live-firing of the Tomahawks in the US later this year.

In addition, March 31 will mark the beginning of Japan’s first deployment of the Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile (HVGP) and upgraded Type 12 surface-to-ship missile (SSM). The Japanese MOD announced that a ground-launched hypersonic glide weapon–the Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile (HVGP) for island defence will be deployed to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) Camp Fuji while the upgraded Type 12 SSM will also be stationed at JGSDF Camp Kengun in central Kyushu, which has a range of around 1,000km.

Its location in Camp Kengun was reportedly potentially capable of reaching large portions of North Korea and parts of China’s eastern coastline amid the most severe security environment surrounding Japan since World War II, its government said the country could fire such missiles if it determines that an enemy has launched an attack first, even before it suffers damage.-shp/adj/dl (Pix:KONGSBERG,JAPAN MOD,AUS DOD)