Jamaine Punzalan

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Bianca Dava

ABS-CBN News

<p>PAOAY, Ilocos Norte — For the first time on Philippine soil, the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) fired its Type 88 surface-to-ship missile system as part of the maritime strike in the Balikatan Exercise 2026.</p><p>Launched from Paoay, Ilocos Norte, the missiles struck their target within six minutes—hitting the decommissioned Philippine Navy warship BRP Quezon positioned about 75 kilometers offshore.</p><p>The drills mark a key shift this year, with Japan moving from observer to active participant in the annual exercises.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/4/ph-us-japan-forces-simulate-coastal-defense-repel-mock-invasion-in-laoag-drills-1650">Balikatan 2026: PH, US, Japan forces simulate coastal defense, repel mock invasion in Laoag drills</a></div><p>Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., who observed the maritime strike, said the exercise demonstrates growing interoperability among allies and partner nations, and strengthens the country’s defense posture.</p><p>“Makikitang napaka-complicated nitong exercise na &#x27;to. From planning to forming to resource management, so it will only get smoother and better,” Teodoro told reporters in an interview in Paoay town.</p><p>“We have seen how it [Type 88 missile system] works and it is something that we can interoperate with in the future,” he added.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/U0WFTthED-U?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>According to Teodoro, Balikatan will continue to expand in scale, with more partners expected to join in future iterations.</p><p>“I&#x27;m very, very proud and happy that we were able to pull this off for the first time, and it will only get larger in scope with more partners,” the defense chief said.</p><p>“And I have to thank the President for his steadfast leadership of making sure that our resilience efforts are going on unhampered, and his strong leadership has propelled us to converge and to interoperate and build deterrence for shared threats,” he continued.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/5/us-tomahawk-missile-fired-from-ph-for-the-first-time-spox-1329">US Typhon missile system fired in PH for first time, AFP confirms</a></div><p>Teodoro added that exercises like this enhance coordination not only for defense—but also for disaster response in a complex archipelagic environment.</p><p>“You can see this is a very complicated area to operate in. But can you imagine if there&#x27;s, God forbid, a natural calamity? We will know how to help each other in this area,” Teodoro noted.</p><p>“It also upgrades the skills and the awareness of our troops in the capabilities that our allies have and in coordination mechanisms with the different participants. So, it&#x27;s a complex exercise, actually. The culmination was simple—a missile firing—but to get there was very difficult and we surmounted the obstacles,&quot; he added. </p><p>While some progressive groups have raised concerns about “militarization of the Philippines,” Teodoro emphasized that the exercises are transparent and anchored on national defense.</p><p>&quot;Well, militarization or national defense? There&#x27;s always a claim of militarization, but it&#x27;s under the control of civilian authorities. And these things should have been exercised and done a long time ago—this being an archipelago,” he stressed.</p><p>The secretary added, “The claims of militarization are totally misplaced at this day and age when we are open and transparent with the exercises, same for national security. I mean, it&#x27;s for everybody to see and to comment on.”</p><p>“We have a democratic society. It’s fair game if people want to read it. But if the public characterizes where they&#x27;re coming from as one or the other, let them not complain,” he said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/21/gibo-teodoro-criticizes-china-after-its-remark-vs-balikatan-exercises-1128">Defense chief criticizes &#x27;sinister&#x27; China intentions after its remark vs Balikatan exercises</a></div><p>For the Philippines, the official said, the goal remains clear: interoperability, resilience, and contributing to regional stability.</p><p>&quot;Keeping a free and open Indo-Pacific. We do not canalize the area. But insofar as we have convergence with our like-minded partners, this is our share,” Teodoro said.</p><p>He added that future Balikatan exercises would be shaped by lessons learned from ongoing operations.</p><p>“The future Balikatan are a product of the exercise itself, and we will be gauging how our planners are thinking by the activities that they identify. So, I will not make any judgment on what it is until there are activities submitted to us which we can analyze whether or not it is aligned with our CADC [Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept]. That&#x27;s part of the exercise,” Teodoro said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/29/ph-navy-monitors-chinese-vessels-aircraft-during-balikatan-maritime-drills-1125">PH Navy monitors Chinese vessels, aircraft during Balikatan maritime drills</a></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AFkTxr5oCxM?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w-Etm2KtUGc?&amp;pp=0gcJCd4KAYcqIYzv&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>For the first time on Philippine soil, the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) fired its Type 88 surface-to-ship missile system as part of the maritime strike in the Balikatan Exercise 2026.</p>

For the first time on Philippine soil, the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) fired its Type 88 surface-to-ship missile system as part of the maritime strike in the Balikatan Exercise 2026.

Balikatan 2026: Japan fires Type 88 missile, hits target 75 km offshore

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Balikatan 2026: Japan fires Type 88 missile, hits target 75 km offshore

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 06, 2026 03:33 PM PHT

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Updated May 06, 2026 04:22 PM PHT

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Type 88 missile system

Japanese troops

PH troops

PH and Japanese defense officials

Sec. Teodoro

missile launch

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