JS Chokai returns to Japan as first destroyer equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles

The JS Chokai has completed modifications in the U.S. to integrate Tomahawk cruise missiles, marking Japan's first operational counter-strike capability on an Aegis destroyer. This deployment follows successful test-firing in July and aligns with Tokyo's broader plan to equip its entire fleet of eight Aegis-class destroyers with long-range strike assets to enhance regional deterrence.