Japanese troops launched a Type-88 surface-to-ship missile from Culili Point in Paoay, Philippines, May 6, 2026. The training was part of the annual Balikatan exercise. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
PAOAY, Philippines — Japan fired an antiship missile outside its territory for the first time on Wednesday, joining American, Philippine and Canadian forces in a maritime strike exercise near the contested waters of the South China Sea.
From a coastal position in northwestern Luzon, Japanese troops launched two Type-88 missiles that sank a decommissioned Philippine navy vessel floating roughly 50 miles offshore.
The live-fire training, part of the Balikatan exercise, marked a significant step in Japan’s expanding military role in the region as Tokyo deepens security ties with allies amid rising tensions with Beijing.
The truck-mounted Type-88 missile system, built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, has a range of about 112 miles and until now had only been launched inside Japan.
Japanese troops prepare to launch a Type-88 surface-to-ship missile from Culili Point in Paoay, Philippines, May 6, 2026. The training was part of the annual Balikatan exercise. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
Japanese troops launch a Type-88 surface-to-ship missile from Culili Point in Paoay, Philippines, May 6, 2026. The training was part of the annual Balikatan exercise. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
Its target Wednesday, the BRP Quezon, carried wartime history. Commissioned in the U.S. Navy in 1944 as the minesweeper USS Vigilance, the ship saw action against Japan during World War II before being transferred to the Philippines in 1967.
The strike included the Philippine navy frigates BRP Miguel Malvar and Antonio Luna and the Canadian frigate HMCS Charlottetown. Philippine FA-50 and Super Tucano aircraft joined the operation alongside a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon patrol plane and an MQ-9 drone.
Nearby, members of the Hawaii-based 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment deployed air-defense and antiship systems of their own, including MADIS, the Marine Air Defense Interdiction System, and NMESIS, the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, though the American launcher did not fire.
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi takes a selfie with his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, after a Balikatan live-fire drill at Culili Point in Paoay, Philippines, May 6, 2026. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
Japanese troops launched a Type-88 surface-to-ship missile from Culili Point in Paoay, Philippines, May 6, 2026. The training was part of the annual Balikatan exercise. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. observed the exercise remotely from military headquarters in Quezon City, while Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro watched from stands overlooking the dunes.
Teodoro described the launch as an opportunity to assess Japan’s capabilities and deepen the countries’ relationship.
“It is something we can cooperate with in future,” he told reporters after the drill. “I am very, very proud and happy that we were able to pull this off.”
Teodoro said future exercises would likely grow larger and involve additional partners, not only for military contingencies but also for disaster response operations.
“We are building deterrence for shared threats,” he said. “These things should have been done a long time ago.”
