Japan's SDF fires anti-ship missiles for first time in Philippine military drills
Source: Japan Times
Japan did away with another postwar taboo on Wednesday, firing off Type 88 surface-to-ship missiles for the first time from the Philippines during joint military drills that included the U.S. and others.
The Self-Defense Forces (SDF) have taken on a combat role for the first time in this year’s Balikatan military exercises, with about 1,400 personnel, multiple warships and aircraft and anti-ship missile systems deployed to the Philippines.
Wednesday’s launches hit a mock enemy ship — the decommissioned Philippine Navy’s Quezon corvette — about 75 kilometers off the shores of Paoay, Ilocos Norte, in the country’s northwest.
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On Monday, more than 800 service members from the Philippines, United States, Canada and Japan also conducted a live-fire exercise simulating repelling an enemy landing. This included around 40 personnel from the Ground Self-Defense Force's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, a force specializing in the defense of remote islands.
Read more: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/05/06/japan/japan-philippines-military-exercises-missile-launch/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_88_surface-to-ship_missile
See also ... Balikatan 2026: Japan fires Type 88 missile, hits target 75 km offshore