Overview
- Japanese Self-Defense Forces, taking part in the Balikatan exercise in the Philippines on Wednesday, fired a Type 88 anti-ship missile during a live-fire drill.
- China said the launch was Japan’s first overseas use of an “offensive” weapon since World War II and said it has raised the issue at the United Nations.
- Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian accused Tokyo of “remilitarisation,” saying the move oversteps Japan’s defense-only policy and risks regional stability.
- The drill, led by the United States and the Philippines with Australia also involved, used the missile to hit a decommissioned Philippine Navy ship in waters facing the South China Sea.
- Japan says the Type 88 is meant for coastal defense, and the two countries have begun talks on defense gear transfers after Tokyo scrapped long-standing export limits.