Japan’s defence ministry is weighing the export of surface-to-ship missiles to the Philippines, public broadcaster NHK reported on Friday, as Tokyo takes on a more proactive regional security posture amid growing concerns over China.
Last month, Japan announced its most significant revision of defence export rules in decades, lifting long-standing restrictions on overseas arms sales and paving the way for exports of warships, missiles and other military equipment.
China Tensions Shape Regional Security Shift
Beijing has expressed its displeasure about Tokyo’s new efforts in defence, with bilateral relations at a particularly low ebb since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in November that a Chinese attack on Taiwan threatening Japan’s survival could trigger a military response.
A day earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping also warned U.S. President Donald Trump at a closely watched summit that mishandling the countries’ disagreements over Taiwan could push China-U.S. relations to a “dangerous place”.
Philippines Gains Strategic Importance
Japan has previously said that it is looking at the early supply of Abukuma-class destroyers and TC-90 aircraft to the Philippines.
Japan’s defence ministry did not immediately comment on the report about missile exports. A spokesperson for the Philippine Defense Department noted that the two countries have agreed to discuss the sale of defence assets.
Japan’s Self-Defense Forces fired a Type 88 anti‑ship missile during a joint maritime exercise with U.S., Australian, and Philippine forces this month.
The Philippines, together with Japan’s southwestern island chain, forms part of what military planners call the First Island Chain, a string of islands that hems in China’s access from its coastal waters to the Western Pacific.
Other countries such as Indonesia and Poland are exploring procurement opportunities from Japan as they modernise their forces, Japanese officials and foreign diplomats have told Reuters.
(With inputs from Reuters)
