Japan to join largest Balikatan war games with 1,400 troops, Type 88 missiles
navalnews.com • • world
Key Points:
- Japan will participate as an active combat troop contributor in the Philippines-US Balikatan military exercises for the first time, deploying around 1,400 troops and its Type 88 surface-to-ship missile system.
- The Balikatan drills, running from April 20 to May 8, will involve over 17,000 troops from multiple countries including Australia, Canada, France, and New Zealand, with 17 additional nations observing.
- Japan’s deployment marks its first combat troop presence on Philippine soil since World War II and the first under the new reciprocal access agreement with Manila.
- Japan will contribute significant naval assets including the helicopter-class destroyer JS Ise, landing ship JS Shimokita, and destroyer JDS Ikazuchi, alongside aircraft for various exercises across air, land, sea, and cyberspace domains.
- The exercises aim to bolster regional stability amid rising tensions over China’s activities near Taiwan, the South China Sea, and East China Sea, reinforcing deterrence within the US-led First Island Chain defense strategy.
