Japan has released photos of its railgun—which fires projectiles using electricity—in action during a test against a target at sea amid China’s development of similar futuristic weapons.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Why It Matters
Japan has been developing railgun technology since 2016, according to defense outlet Naval News. Equipped with two rails, the weapon uses an electric pulse—instead of explosive chemical propellants—to generate an electromagnetic force that accelerates a projectile to up to six times the speed of sound, hitting its target with extreme velocity.
Facing China‘s development of advanced anti-ship missiles, Japan plans to deploy railguns as an air-defense system to protect its warships. Railguns are also seen as a potential countermeasure against hypersonic missiles, which can travel at over five times the speed of sound, according to the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun.
Meanwhile, the Chinese military unveiled a shipborne laser system last week, a directed-energy weapon that will be integrated into its layered maritime defense network, capable of striking targets—drones and missiles—at the speed of light.
What To Know
The Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency, part of Japan’s Defense Ministry responsible for developing advanced technologies, announced on Wednesday that it conducted a shipboard railgun firing test against a target ship between June and July.
The railgun—installed on the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s experimental ship JS Asuka—fired an unspecified number of projectiles at the target, according to photos released by the agency. The extent of damage to the target, however, remains unclear.
#ATLA conducted the Ship-board #Railgun Shooting Test from June to early July this year with the support of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. It’s the first time that a ship-mounted railgun was successfully fired at a real ship.#Ground_Systems_Research_Center #JMSDF #Asuka pic.twitter.com/XuULOOTBgO
— Acquisition Technology & Logistics Agency (@atla_kouhou_en) September 10, 2025
While this marked the first time the Japanese railgun successfully struck a ship, the agency previously conducted what it claimed was the first shipboard railgun firing test—without a target—in the world, according to footage released in October 2023.
Citing an official from the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency, National Defense magazine reported in June that despite challenges, the development of railguns is progressing, and Japan and the U.S. have exchanged relevant technical information.
Meanwhile, after spending over a decade developing the railgun, the U.S. Navy halted the project in 2021 to focus on hypersonic, directed-energy and electronic warfare weapon systems. The Office of Naval Research tested its railgun in 2008 and 2010.
In addition to laser weapons, Beijing has also developed railgun technology. Citing a U.S. intelligence assessment, CNBC reported in 2018 that the Chinese weapon was first spotted in 2011 and has been undergoing testing since 2014, including shipboard trials.
#ATLA has accomplished ship-board firing test of railgun first time in the world with the cooperation of the JMSDF. To protect vessels against air-threats and surface-threats by high-speed bullets, ATLA strongly promotes early deployment of railgun technology. pic.twitter.com/MG5NqqENcG
— Acquisition Technology & Logistics Agency (@atla_kouhou_en) October 17, 2023
What People Are Saying
Japan’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency said in 2023: “To protect vessels against air-threats and surface-threats by high-speed bullets, [Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency] strongly promotes early deployment of railgun technology.”
Naval News commented in April: “In the naval role, [railguns] would likely be used to intercept incoming anti-ship missiles—especially hypersonic cruise missiles, which are considered difficult to counter due to their high speeds. By leveraging the railgun’s high velocity and extended range, a layered air-defense network could be established in conjunction with shipborne surface-to-air missiles.”
What Happens Next
It remains unclear whether Japan will accelerate its railgun development amid China’s rapid military buildup. Additional tests are likely to be conducted before deployment on warships.
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