Japan Approves 2026 Budget for New Hypersonic Missile Production

The Japan Ministry of Defense has allocated funds in the 2026 military budget to begin serial production of the HVGP Block 1 hypersonic missiles.

According to reports citing the ministry, $2.07 billion will be directed toward the production and deployment of the first batch, while $5.03 billion has been earmarked for the development of the upgraded HVGP Block 2 variant. The exact number of missiles to be delivered has not been disclosed, but they are expected to equip at least four missile regiments of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces.

The HVGP program marks Japan’s first development of a ballistic missile capable of reaching beyond 300 to 500 km.

The Block 1 missile, designed for anti-ship missions, has a range of 500 to 600 kilometers. It employs a glide vehicle in the missile’s nose that separates after reaching altitude and speed to strike its target. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the primary contractor, signed a production agreement in April 2023. The missiles will be deployed on self-propelled launchers based on Mitsubishi 8×8 trucks weighing 36 tons, with the missile itself measuring 7 meters in length and 530 mm in diameter.

The HVGP Block 1 program was first announced in fiscal year 2018, with testing conducted in Japan and the United States in 2024 and 2025. The missile is intended to replace American-supplied M270 MLRS rocket systems, with two dedicated hypersonic divisions to be deployed on the islands of Kyūshū and Hokkaidō.

Japan has already begun replacing subsonic air-launched anti-ship missiles with ASM-3A supersonic variants carried by fighter jets.