China’s military activities present “the greatest strategic challenge” to Japan, the Defense Ministry’s annual white paper, released in July, said. China showed off some of that new capability – including powerful anti-ship missiles, during a military parade in Beijing on September 3. In a statement, the Japanese Defense Ministry said it planned to have the Chokai ready for “actual missions” by next summer through a process that would include live-fire testing. The 528-foot-long, 9,500-ton Chokai has 90 of the vertical launch cells, which it can also use to launch surface-to-air missiles, anti-ballistic missiles, air defense missiles and anti-submarine rockets. Beside the US Navy, Britain’s Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy have demonstrated Tomahawk launch capability.