In December 2025, Japan delivered one of its clearest military signals in years in response to expanding Chinese naval activity near its southwestern approaches. At Tsuiki Air Base in Fukuoka Prefecture, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) was observed deploying an unusually large number of F-2 multirole fighters, each armed with a full complement of anti-ship missiles, a configuration rarely seen outside of crisis-driven scenarios.
On 9 December 2025, at least 16 JASDF F-2 aircraft conducted training flights from Tsuiki, with every jet carrying four ASM-2 (Type 93) air-to-ship guided missiles mounted under the main wings. This meant a combined loadout of 64 anti-ship missiles airborne at a single base—an exceptional concentration by JASDF standards and widely interpreted as a deliberate deterrent signal.
Unprecedented F-2 Missile Configuration
The F-2, jointly developed by Japan and the United States and operated exclusively by Japan, is optimized for maritime strike missions. The ASM-2 missile, indigenously developed by Japan, has an operational range exceeding 140 kilometers and employs an imaging infrared (IIR) seeker equipped with infrared counter-countermeasures (IRCCM) and advanced target discrimination features, allowing it to engage complex naval targets in cluttered maritime environments.
At Tsuiki Air Base, two frontline units—the 6th and 8th Tactical Fighter Squadrons—are permanently stationed. Each squadron fields 20 aircraft, comprising 18 single-seat F-2A fighters and 2 dual-seat F-2B trainers, giving the base a total strength of 40 F-2s. Observing nearly half of this force flying simultaneously with maximum anti-ship armament marked a highly atypical operational posture.
Chinese Carrier Liaoning Near Kyushu
The timing of the deployment closely tracked the movements of the People’s Liberation Army Navy aircraft carrier Liaoning, whose presence in waters near Japan raised alarm in Tokyo.
After transiting the Miyako Strait between Okinawa Main Island and Miyako Island on 6 December 2025, Liaoning entered the western Pacific Ocean. Rather than continuing southward, the carrier abruptly altered course to the northeast, operating in waters south of Okinawa before advancing further toward Kyushu on 7 December.
During these operations, J-15 carrier-borne fighters launched from Liaoning reportedly illuminated JASDF F-15 interceptors with fire-control radar, an act widely viewed as escalatory and contributing to heightened tensions between the Chinese military and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.
Broader Pattern of PLAN Carrier Expansion
Japanese defense planners view Liaoning’s December deployment as part of a sustained and accelerating expansion of Chinese aircraft carrier operations in the Pacific. In June 2025, China deployed two aircraft carriers simultaneously—Liaoning and Shandong—into the Pacific Ocean, where they conducted exercises reportedly simulating confrontation with a U.S. Navy carrier strike group.
Looking ahead, the anticipated full operational entry of China’s third aircraft carrier, Fujian, could enable the continuous presence of Chinese carrier strike groups across the East China Sea and the Pacific, a scenario that Japan’s Ministry of Defense has identified as a major strategic shift.
Japan Reinforces Its Pacific Defense Posture
In response, Japan is rapidly moving beyond its long-standing focus on the Southwestern Islands and the East China Sea, accelerating efforts to close what officials describe as a “Pacific defense gap.” One key initiative involves Kita-Daito Island, located southwest of Okinawa Main Island, where Japan plans to deploy a mobile air-surveillance radar system capable of monitoring air and maritime activity across wider Pacific approaches.
Japan’s FY2026 defense budget request allocates approximately ¥16 billion (about US$102 million) for infrastructure and facilities supporting this radar deployment, underscoring the urgency attached to enhanced early-warning coverage.
Izumo-Class and the F-35B Factor
Maritime aviation remains another central pillar of Japan’s response. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) is continuing modifications to its two Izumo-class destroyers, transforming them into vessels capable of operating F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) fighters.
Originally initiated around 2018 as a counter to long-range Chinese H-6K bombers transiting the Bashi Channel into the Pacific, the Izumo-class conversion has since taken on a more explicit role as a counter-carrier capability aimed at the PLAN. With Iwo Jima currently the only Pacific island offering a runway suitable for JASDF fighters, the Izumo-class provides Japan with a mobile sea-based aviation option in otherwise under-covered areas.
Toward a Dedicated Pacific Defense Strategy
Institutionally, Japan is also adapting. The FY2026 defense budget request includes the establishment of a Pacific Defense Concept Office within the Ministry of Defense, tasked with conducting cross-service assessments of the force posture required to defend Japan’s Pacific approaches.
Future challenges remain substantial. Unlike the East China Sea, the Pacific lacks a dense island chain suitable for fixed radar installations, complicating persistent surveillance. In this context, Japanese defense officials see the expansion of the E-2D airborne early warning aircraft fleet—already proven within JASDF service and capable of short-runway operations—as a highly viable solution.
A Clear Strategic Message
The massed deployment of F-2 fighters armed with 64 ASM-2 anti-ship missiles was more than an exercise. It represented a visible, calculated message that Japan retains the capability—and the resolve—to contest hostile naval activity near its territory. As Chinese carrier operations push deeper into the Pacific, such demonstrations suggest that Japan’s defensive posture is entering a new, more assertive phase shaped by rapidly evolving regional realities.
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