First Time Since WWII: Japan to Fire Missiles on Philippine Soil

Japan's Self-Defense Forces joined Monday's annual U.S.-Philippines Balikatan exercises as full combat participants for the first time, deploying ground, maritime, and air units to the northern Philippines amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.

The most closely watched element: Ground SDF troops are scheduled to fire Type 88 surface-to-ship missiles at a decommissioned vessel approximately 40 nautical miles off the coast of Ilocos Norte — an action that a Philippine military official told Nikkei Asia would likely mark Japan's first missile launch on foreign soil since the end of World War II. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is expected to travel to the Philippines to observe.

The exercise, which runs through May 8 and involves more than 17,000 personnel from more than 20 countries, is the largest Balikatan on record.

A decade in the making

Japan has participated in Balikatan since 2012, initially as an observer. Last year, it sent 150 troops. This year's contingent of 1,400 — drawn primarily from Japan's Sasebo naval base in Nagasaki, with 860 personnel departing from there alone — reflects the proactive defense posture of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office last October. The legal foundation is the Reciprocal Access Agreement Japan and the Philippines concluded two years ago, which entered into force in September 2025.

The pact removed the procedural barriers that had long prevented the SDF from deploying equipment and personnel to Philippine territory at scale. A Southeast Asia analyst at Japan's National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies told Nikkei Asia the agreement has moved from paper into practice, institutionalizing military-to-military cooperation between Tokyo and Manila in a way that bilateral coast guard ties alone could not.

Takaichi's government has sharpened the strategic rationale for the deployment. In parliamentary questioning last November, she suggested Japan could find itself drawn into a conflict over Taiwan — remarks that drew a sharp diplomatic protest from Beijing and underscored how far Sino-Japanese relations have deteriorated since she assumed office.

Geography explains the choice of venue. The northern tip of Luzon Island lies approximately 360 kilometers from Taiwan's southern coast — a shorter distance than to the Philippine capital. Positioning the Type 88 system there — with its approximate 100-kilometer range — places it squarely within reach of South China Sea shipping lanes.

The deployment comes as China's Coast Guard has intensified pressure on Philippine vessels operating within Manila's exclusive economic zone — interdicting their courses, deploying water cannons, and using military-grade lasers against fishing boats and government ships. Japan faces analogous pressure in the East China Sea, where Chinese naval vessels have repeatedly entered waters near the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands. The shared threat calculus has accelerated defense ties between the two countries in ways that would have been legally and politically difficult just a few years ago.

AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., speaking at the opening ceremony in Quezon City, framed the exercise as extending beyond national defense: the alliance, he said, is now oriented toward protecting shared maritime space, not just Philippine territory. He added that U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Admiral Samuel Paparo had personally reaffirmed Washington's regional commitment despite ongoing Middle East operations.

U.S. exercise spokesperson Col. Robert Bunn confirmed that force deployments would not be drawn down due to the Middle East, describing Balikatan as a demonstration of the alliance's durability. Tomahawk cruise missiles are among the capabilities that could be exercised, he indicated. France, which had originally planned to contribute an amphibious carrier and frigate, reduced its
participation citing competing demands from the Middle East.

Calibrated ambition

The exercise's scope has expanded beyond its traditional bilateral format. Australia, New Zealand, and Canada are participating with active forces. More than 10 additional countries have sent observers. The drills cover amphibious operations, integrated air and missile defense, logistics, rapid deployment, and emerging domains including cyberspace and space.

The Philippine military has been careful not to overstate the provocation. Its Balikatan spokesperson told Nikkei Asia that Manila's posture remains defensive and that every nation retains the right to protect its territory — a formulation designed to preempt anticipated criticism from Beijing over the sinking exercises.

The GRIPS analyst who has tracked the bilateral relationship closely offered a similar note of restraint: even at this scale, Balikatan 26 is unlikely to shift the underlying dynamic in the South China Sea or East China Sea, he told Nikkei Asia — because the situation in those waters is already acutely tense.​

Key timeline

Japan's transformation from observer to combat participant did not happen overnight. It took more than a decade of incremental legal, political, and diplomatic groundwork — compressed sharply in the past two years by a deteriorating security environment and a change of government in Tokyo.

2012                                       Japan joins Balikatan as observer

2024                                       Japan–Philippines RAA signed

Sep 2025                              RAA enters into force

Oct 2025                                Takaichi becomes Prime Minister

Apr 6–17, 2026                    SDF joins Salaknib drills (Phase 1) in the Philippines

▶ Apr 20, 2026                  Balikatan 26 opens; SDF live-fire missile exercise scheduled

May–Jun 2026                     Salaknib Phase 2

Jun–Jul 2026                       SDF to join Kamandag drills with Philippine and U.S. Marines

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