The existing Tomahawks can only attack static targets , but can receive instructions mid-flight to strike a different position. The Block IV missiles can loiter over a specific area, as well, and provide a limited view of the battlefield with their on board camera, before dropping onto the enemy. The future Maritime Strike Tomahawk version will have the ability to attack moving ships.

Yomiuri’s report did not offer any other details about the weapon’s estimated range or capabilities, or whether it would be a clean sheet design or a derivative of a type already in development, but described it as a “Japanese Tomahawk” in reference to the American-made Tomhawk Land Attack Missile, or TLAM. The latest Block IV TLAMs have a range of approximately 1,000 miles and the manufacturer, Raytheon, is working with the U.S. Navy on an anti-ship subvariant .

On Nov. 20, 2017, The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that the Japanese Ministry of Defense would research adding a land-attack capability to an unspecified existing anti-ship missile development programs. Research and development would start some time during the 2018 fiscal year, which began on Oct. 1, 2017, but the newspaper did not give a timeline for when the missile might be ready for tests or enter service.

Japan is reportedly looking into developing its own stand-off cruise missile that aircraft, warships, and land-based launchers all might be fire at hostile targets both on land and at sea. The decision comes amid growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula , as North Korea continues to develop its nuclear weapon and missile capabilities , and a long-running dispute with China over ownership of a remote island chain in the East China Sea.

This class of weapon has significantly longer range over Japan's existing missiles and would help any launch platform – aircraft, ships, or land-based launchers – avoid the threat of enemy defenses and counter-attacks. Another option could be to use an air-launched drone, similar to the Kratos XQ-222 , to carry existing weapons closer to the target.

The still-in-development supersonic XASM-3 , which will replace the existing air-launched weapons, will still have a maximum range of less than 125 miles. That being said, a new, multi-platform missile that could reach targets even four or five as far away, such as Lockheed Martin's Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range ( JASSM-ER ), would give the country’s aircraft, warships, and ground forces more flexibility to respond quickly and accurately to regional crises.

A Japanese missile with similar range and a combination of these features would give the Japan Self-Defense Forces an important boost in overall capability. In May 2017, there were reports that the country might be interested in just buying Tomahawk missiles from the United States to quickly field this type of weapon.

With a high speed or low-observable features, and networked with near-real time intelligence from forward-deployed radars and other sensor nodes, as well as possessing its own decision making ability and passive sensors, the final missile or drone design itself could be more survivable and better able to respond to fleeting, time sensitive targets.

Since the late 1990s, Japan's Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI), analogous to the U.S. military's Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA), has been experimenting with a small, turbofan-powered, multi-purpose drone from Fuji, commonly known by its Japanese acronym TACOM. Though it has been more commonly seen with a sensor package for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions, it could possibly serve as the a basis for semi-reusable unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV). It might even be a useful starting place for a more conventional cruise missile and the Japanese have already tested TACOM with an F-15J fighter jet acting as the launch platform.

USN The Japanese helicopter carrier Ise sails alongside a U.S. Navy Nimitz-class carrier during a massive exercise in November 2017.

But with its present capabilities, if a conflict with North Korea were to break out, Japan would have to rely almost entirely on its allies for any actual strikes, especially before any initial strikes neutralized most of the country’s aging, but dense air defense network. With a cruise missile of their own, the Japan Self-Defense Forces would be better positioned to directly contribute to any such campaign or conduct strikes independently in the face of an imminent threat, most notably by hitting missiles while they are in their vulnerable launch position. The Japanese could integrate any new long range cruise missile with the Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense architecture they are also planning to buy or look to buy Tomahawks for those sites as a supplement to its own development. A missile with a 500 to 600 mile range would still put these land-based launchers well within striking distance of targets in North Korea if they were situated in the country’s home islands and the weapons would offer a standing and visible deterrent. Any missile that could fit into the Aegis Ashore would also work with the Mk 41 vertical launch systems, found on many of Japan’s destroyers, too. At present, the country’s post-World War II constitution still limits how pro-active the Japanese government can be militarily, but that could be changing, as well. In 2014, Japan said Article 9 of the constitution, which prohibits offensive military action, would not apply to “collective self-defense,” or coming to the aid of an ally under attack. In May 2017, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for an extensive review and revision of the article no later than 2020, ostensibly to make sure the law accurately reflect the state of affairs in East Asia and the world as a whole. China and South Korea, both of which suffered greatly under Japanese occupation during World War II, have long opposed any attempt by Japan to re-militarize.

Kyodo News via AP Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the G20 summit in 2016.