Japan fires Type 88 anti-ship missiles from Philippine soil in Balikatan 2026

Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force conducted its first-ever live Type 88 surface-to-ship missile firing from the Philippines, demonstrating an expeditionary coastal-defense/sea-denial posture along the First Island Chain. While the missile system itself is not new, the cross-basing and integrated maritime strike exercise (with US/Philippine systems and USMC C2) reflects a notable operational concept for distributed anti-ship fires and chokepoint control.