Japan’s successful Tomahawk and Upgraded Type-12 tests mark a decisive shift beyond interception-only defense toward a more assertive counterstrike posture. At Gifu Air Base, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) also began flight testing an F-2 fighter equipped with the air-launched Upgraded Type-12 Surface-to-Ship Missile. At the same time, Japan’s rapidly expanding missile reach is running ahead of the targeting networks, stockpiles, alliance arrangements and legal doctrine needed to employ those weapons credibly. The doctrinal problem is how to strengthen deterrence without destabilizing the alliance arrangements that have long governed Japan’s use of force. Satoru Mori and Shinichi Kitaoka argue in a 2022 RAND report that China’s growing missile capacity and saturation tactics make relying solely on ballistic missile interception inadequate for Japan’s defense.