Japan Fires Missiles on Foreign Soil for First Time Since WWII
The drill involved more than 17,000 troops and marked Japan’s first overseas firing of the Type-88 missile, officials said.
- On Wednesday, Japanese troops launched two Type-88 surface-to-ship missiles from Culili Point in Paoay, Philippines, sinking a decommissioned Philippine navy vessel roughly 50 miles offshore during the annual Balikatan exercise.
- This event marked the first time Japan fired the truck-mounted Type-88 system outside its territory, demonstrating Tokyo's expanding military role and deepening security cooperation with allies amid rising regional tensions.
- The target vessel, the BRP Quezon, was originally commissioned as the USS Vigilance in 1944; American, Canadian, and Philippine forces deployed air-defense and antiship systems alongside aerial support.
- Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro watched the drill alongside Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, telling reporters, "Relationship. It is something we can cooperate with in future."
- Teodoro indicated that future Balikatan exercises would likely expand in scale and incorporate additional partners, focusing on military contingencies and disaster response operations to strengthen regional security.
77 Articles
77 Articles
For 20 Years the U.S. Watched China Take the First Island Chain — Now Marines Are Firing Missiles Within Striking Range of Taiwan
For the first time outside Japanese territory, Japan fired a Type 88 anti-ship missile during the Balikatan exercise on the Philippine island of Luzon, while U.S. Marines deployed Naval Strike Missiles from the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System within striking range of the Taiwan Strait. The 130-mile-range NMESIS battery and Japan’s first overseas Type 88 launch mark the largest joint demonstration of coalition sea-denial firepo…
Warship Down :Japan Fires Anti-Ship Missiles Outside Its Territory for First Time During Philippine War Drills
Japan just fired anti-ship missiles outside its own territory for the first time since World War II—a stunning moment that has sent shockwaves through Beijing and signals how dramatically Tokyo’s military posture is shifting. On May 6, 2026, Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force troops launched two Type-88 surface-to-ship missiles from Culili Point in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, hitting and sinking the former U.S. Navy minesweeper BRP Quezon roughly 75 ki…
The US, Japan and the Philippines sunk a warship for testing. The practice near Taiwan shows how seriously the allies are preparing for a possible China conflict.
US, Japan missile drills put Philippines in China's line of fire
As US and Japanese missiles roar across Philippine skies, the Southeast Asian nation is becoming a forward-deployed missile hub in the intensifying US-China rivalry in the Pacific. The US and Japan escalated their military profiles in the Philippines during this year’s Balikatan exercises, multiple media outlets reported. The Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JGDSF) fired Type […] The post US, Japan missile drills put Philippines in China’s li…
Japan Test-Fires Anti-Ship Missile in Major Balikatan Drill Near South China Sea
Japan’s Self-Defense Forces fired a Type 88 surface-to-ship missile on May 6 during a joint maritime exercise with U.S., Philippine, and Australian forces in the northern Philippines. The live-fire drill hit a decommissioned Philippine Navy vessel, the BRP Quezon, in waters facing the South China Sea. It took place about 75 kilometers (about 47 miles) off the coast of Paoay in Ilocos Norte province. Philippine military officials said two volleys…
WPS: China rebukes Japan over missile drills near PH, Taiwan
PAOAY, Philippines — China was angered after Japan fired surface-to-ship missiles and sank an old warship in waters between the Philippines and Taiwan during large-scale military exercises involving US forces. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has accelerated Japan’s shift towards a more muscular defense policy, further casting off — with US encouragement — Tokyo’s pacifist stance in place since the end of World War II. The firing on Wednesday of tw…
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