Japan is exploring the potential export of surface-to-ship missiles to the Philippines, according to a Friday report by Japanese broadcaster NHK. The move marks a significant shift in Tokyo’s regional security strategy as it seeks to counter China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific.
The reported plan follows a landmark overhaul of Japan’s defense export regulations, which recently eased decades-old restrictions on the sale of military hardware, including warships and advanced missile systems.
While the Japanese Defense Ministry has not issued an official statement, the Philippine Department of National Defense confirmed that both nations are open to negotiations.
“Manila and Tokyo had agreed to discuss the possible sale of defense assets.”
The strategic timing of this potential deal coincides with heightened friction in the region. Tensions between Tokyo and Beijing escalated following a November declaration by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who suggested that a Chinese assault on Taiwan—if viewed as a threat to Japan’s survival—could trigger a military response.
Furthermore, during a recent summit with US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned that mismanagement of the Taiwan issue could put China-US relations in a “dangerous place.”
The Philippines and Japan occupy critical positions along the “First Island Chain,” a geographic corridor vital for monitoring and restricting military movement from Chinese coastal waters into the Western Pacific. Japan has already accelerated the transfer of Abukuma-class destroyers and TC-90 aircraft to the Philippines to bolster this maritime defense posture.
Evidence of this deepening cooperation was seen earlier this month when Japan’s Self-Defense Forces successfully launched a Type 88 anti-ship missile during joint exercises with the United States, Australia, and the Philippines.