Japan Tests Surface-to-Ship Missile

The Japanese military test-fired a surface-to-ship missile on Tuesday, marking the first time the nation has conducted a test of this kind.

• The test was of a Type 88 missile.
• The target was some 25 miles off the coast of Hokkaido.
• Authorities felt the test was necessary “given the increasingly severe security environment facing the country,” Japan News wrote.

Growing tensions: Japan is hastening to improve its military capabilities as regional and global tensions increase. Russia is on the war path, China is growing more belligerent, and North Korea is rattling its sabres more loudly. Meanwhile, Japan’s American ally is growing less predictable and less reliable.

• Japan approved a record $55.1 billion defense budget for the 2025 fiscal year, the nation’s 11th annual increase in a row.
• Japan has sent defense equipment to Ukraine and expressed interest in expanding its support to include troops in April.
• About 21,000 Japanese nationals rallied in Tokyo in May to demand that the government amend or scrap the pacifist clause from the nation’s Constitution.

Armed pacifists: Japan is hurtling toward a stronger, self-sufficient, more experienced military—in defiance of its Constitution.

Japan’s postwar Constitution, written by Allied forces after Japan’s brutal atrocities in World War ii, includes Article 9. This “peace clause” prohibits Japan from maintaining an offensive military force. Despite this clause and Japan’s disturbing history, the nation is hastening to remilitarize.

Asian alliance: The Bible prophesies of an enormous Asian alliance, including a militarized Japan, that will play a key role in a coming global war.

Though historic tensions between Japan and China linger, these nations will soon put aside their differences to ensure their survival against rising opposition in Europe.

To understand where these events are leading, read our Trends article “Why the Trumpet Watches Japan’s March Toward Militarism.”