Japan may export surface-to-ship missiles to Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Japan’s Ministry of Defense is reportedly considering the possibility of exporting surface-to-ship missiles to the Philippines.

Such information came out just days after Japan’s Type 88 surface-to-air missile was used in a live-fire maritime strike exercise in Paoay, Ilocos Norte.

The weapon, used during the recently concluded Balikatan exercises, helped sink a decommissioned Philippine Navy warship.

Japan was among several other nations that joined actual military training events during this year’s iteration of the Balikatan, which is primarily between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the United States military.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported that Japan is now considering exporting the same Type 88 surface-to-ship missiles to the Philippines.

The Department of National Defense and the AFP have yet to comment on the report, although both admitted the need for the Philippines to further invest in the skills and capabilities of the military force.

“This demonstration of the Tomahawk, where 600 kilometers away it was launched and hit a very, very precise target to the millimeter, was a demonstration of why continuous investments in our defense capabilities are necessary in the evolution of technology and vulnerabilities in the world today,” Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. said in his speech during the closing ceremony of Exercise Balikatan 2026, referring to the use of the US military’s Typhon missile system for the first time to launch a Tomahawk missile from the Tacloban Airport in Leyte that hit its target in Laur, Nueva Ecija.

“So, we have plans of procuring more of the missile systems that we saw recently used here in the Balikatan exercise. That is the future direction of the Armed Forces of the Philippines as we modernize our capabilities,” AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., for his part, said.

President Marcos state visit

Both the Philippines and Japan are now working together to prepare for President Marcos’ state visit to Japan later this month.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro met with Japanese Ambassador Endo Kazuya on Wednesday to discuss the upcoming event.

She posted on X that she met with Endo “regarding the preparations for the State Visit of President Marcos to Japan on 26-29 May 2026.”

Lazaro said they talked about various issues of mutual interest that can be discussed during Marcos’ state visit, a historic one considering that the last by a Philippine president was undertaken by the late former president Benigno Simeon Aquino III in June 2015.

“We discussed possible deliverables to strengthen cooperation in energy, defense, security and other areas of mutual interest in order to ensure a productive visit,” her social media post read.

Bilateral relations between the Philippines and Japan have seen significant developments recently, including in the area of defense cooperation following the signing of the Reciprocal Access Agreement in 2024.

The Japan Self-Defense Force, making history, also joined this year’s recently concluded Balikatan exercises not as mere observers but actual participants.

Tourism ties

Ambassador Endo and Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay agreed on Thursday to strengthen tourism promotion efforts and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

In a courtesy call with the tourism chief, Endo said Japan committed “to work in close cooperation with the Philippines across a wide range of fields.”

Prior to joining the department, Angara-Mathay was a veteran trade diplomat of the Philippines to key industry discussions and summits with the electronics and sustainable textile sectors in Japan.

This paved the way for the country to secure a P51-billion investment from Japanese firms in September last year.

Angara-Mathay also has experience in creative tourism, having spearheaded an exhibition on the Philippine coconut at the Tokyo Design Hub, showcasing the “tree of life” as it intersects with culture, policy, design and global cooperation. — Andrew Ronquillo