Japan fired Type 88 anti-ship missiles on Philippine soil during the Balikatan 2026 military exercises, marking the first time Japanese forces had conducted a live-fire combat exercise on foreign territory since the Second World War, as the United States simultaneously made the first operational firing of a Tomahawk cruise missile from the Army Typhon missile system stationed on the Philippines for more than two years.
The 19-day exercises, which concluded on 8 May 2026 after opening on 20 April, were the largest in the 41-year history of the annual Balikatan programme. Approximately 17,000 military personnel from seven nations participated: the United States, the Philippines, Japan, France, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The drills were concentrated in areas close to several of the region's most sensitive security flashpoints, including the South China Sea and the narrow stretch of water between Luzon and Taiwan.
Japan deployed approximately 1,400 Self-Defense Force personnel to the exercises. The Type 88 surface-to-ship missile firing on Philippine territory represented a significant departure from the constraints Japan has historically placed on its overseas military activities — constraints rooted in the country's post-war constitution and decades of domestic political sensitivity around the projection of military force abroad. The US Army Typhon launcher, which has been stationed on Philippine soil since 2024 and which China has repeatedly and publicly demanded be withdrawn, fired a Tomahawk cruise missile that American officials described as its first operational launch on Philippine territory. The Philippines' armed forces said no aggressive actions by Chinese forces were recorded at any point during the exercises.
"Persisting in tying themselves together on security will only lead to setting themselves on fire and backfiring," China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said, calling the exercises divisive and confrontational. Beijing reserved particular condemnation for Japan's live-fire exercise, describing it as Tokyo's first overseas offensive missile launch in eight decades and evidence of what it characterised as rising 'neo-militarism' within the Japanese government. The People's Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command held live-fire naval drills east of Luzon Island as the Balikatan exercises were underway, describing them as 'a necessary action taken in response to the current regional situation.'
Manila defended the exercises as a legitimate expression of its treaty alliance with the United States and its right to self-defence. The Philippines has moved in recent years to significantly expand the allied military footprint on its territory, granting US forces access to additional bases under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement and approving a multi-year $35 billion military modernisation programme. South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries is contracted to build six offshore patrol vessels for the Philippine navy, with the first delivery expected before the end of 2026.
The exercises reflect a broad acceleration of military investment across East and Southeast Asia. Japan has dramatically increased defence spending under its revised national security strategy, which explicitly endorses counterstrike capabilities — the ability to strike targets on enemy territory before an attack reaches Japan. The Type 88 firing in the Philippines is the most visible and historically significant expression yet of that shift. Indonesia has unveiled a substantial increase in its defence budget for 2026. Several analysts have noted that the cumulative effect of allied exercises, basing agreements, and weapons acquisitions is producing a structural change in the regional security architecture that China is unlikely to accept without continued counter-pressure.
Further allied exercises in the South China Sea are planned for later in 2026. China is expected to conduct additional naval and air drills in the region in the coming weeks. US-Philippine bilateral security consultations scheduled for June are expected to address whether the Typhon launcher system remains on Philippine soil beyond its current deployment — a question Beijing has made a diplomatic priority.