TOKYO — Japan’s Ministry of Defense plans to request funding in its fiscal 2027 budget to begin developing a hypersonic missile designed for submarine launch, according to Kyodo News and other Japanese media citing government sources.
The program is part of Japan’s broader effort to strengthen its long-range and counterstrike capabilities. The official budget request has not yet been released, but the submarine-launched hypersonic missile is reportedly among more than 150 “item requests” that do not yet have specific funding amounts.
The Defense Ministry’s overall request is expected to reach about ¥8.9 trillion ($56–60 billion). Because many programs remain unpriced, the final defense budget could rise to around ¥10 trillion when the budget is finalized later this year.
Submarine Vertical Launch System
Japan is also developing a Vertical Launch System (VLS) for future conventionally powered diesel-electric submarines. The VLS development program is scheduled for 2026–2029, with an estimated research cost of ¥3.9 billion ($24.8 million).
Official renderings show each launch module with seven to eight cells, while a submarine could carry two or three modules, giving it 14–24 launch cells.
The system is being designed to launch several types of long-range weapons, including a naval version of Japan’s Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile (HVGP), cruise missiles and hypersonic weapons.
Japan has been developing hypersonic weapons since around 2019. After positive interim research results beginning in 2023, the Defense Ministry moved ahead with production before the originally planned completion of certain development programs around fiscal 2031. In December 2025, Japan announced the start of mass production of new hypersonic guided missiles.
The land-based HVGP, designated Type 25, entered service in March 2026. The boost-glide weapon uses a rocket to reach high altitude before its warhead separates and glides toward its target at hypersonic speed. A naval version is being considered for submarine deployment.
Type 12 Long-Range Missiles
The submarine VLS program will also complement Japan’s extended-range Type 12 Surface-to-Ship Missile program.
In October 2025, the Ministry of Defense awarded contracts to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for mass production of extended-range Type 12 missiles, known as 12SSM-ER or related variants. Depending on the variant, reported ranges are in the 1,000–1,500-kilometer class, with the ship-launched version expected to enter service around fiscal 2027.
Separate development is also underway for submarine-launched cruise missiles that can be fired through the torpedo tubes of existing Soryu- and Taigei-class submarines.
Future Japanese submarines, including concepts shown by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, are expected to incorporate the new VLS to provide greater flexibility for launching long-range weapons from underwater.
Wider Defense Expansion
The fiscal 2027 request also includes research into unmanned submarines capable of launching long-range missiles and development of low-cost attack drones using commercial components for faster and larger-scale production.
The plans reflect Japan’s wider focus on artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, long-range weapons and sustained operational capabilities as it modernizes the Self-Defense Forces and strengthens its defense industrial base.
Japan’s fiscal 2027 budget request is due to be submitted to the Finance Ministry by the end of August, with the final budget expected to be decided later this year.
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