The distant thunder of a missile launch from Hokkaido late last month was less a provocation than a statement of intent: marking a turning point, analysts say, in Japan’s approach to its own defence.On June 24, more than 300 members of the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force’s 1st Artillery Brigade gathered at a remote firing range for the country’s first-ever live missile test from home soil.It saw a Type-88 surface-to-ship missile being launched towards an unmanned vessel parked 40km (25 miles)...