Bangkok, Apr 20 (EFE).- More than 17,000 troops from the United States, the Philippines and five allied countries began annual military exercises Monday in the Philippine archipelago, amid growing tensions with China in the Indo-Pacific.
The drills, which also involve Japan, Australia, New Zealand, France and Canada, will run until May 8 and include ground, maritime, aerial and cyber operations, according to Philippine authorities.
This marks the first time Japan’s military is actively participating in the exercises, including the firing of Type 88 surface-to-surface missiles, Philippine spokesperson Marine Col. Dennis Fernandez said in a statement carried by the Philippine News Agency.
Japan’s expanded participation comes amid a broader military buildup promoted by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government. In early April, Tokyo deployed domestically produced long-range missiles in the south and center of the country.
The move provides Japan with retaliatory capabilities despite its pacifist constitution, which traditionally limits the country to a strictly defensive military posture.
The shift in military policy follows the redeployment of some US military personnel from Japan to the Middle East in recent weeks, according to US media reports.
The Exercise Balikatan, which means “shoulder-to-shoulder” in Tagalog, is taking place amid heightened regional tensions over Taiwan, the self-governed island that China has not ruled out invading, and the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost entirely.
Security in Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Taiwan depends heavily on the US military presence in the region.
Washington is also reportedly considering relocating Patriot missile defense systems currently deployed in South Korea, although Seoul has rejected any potential transfer.
While the United States and China do not have direct sovereignty disputes in the Indo-Pacific, tensions raise the risk of indirect confrontation, particularly under mutual defense treaties such as the one between Washington and Manila.
Regional US allies fear that Washington may neglect the strategic Indo-Pacific region due to the conflict in the Middle East.
The US currently has access to about a dozen military bases in the Philippines under a 2014 defense agreement that was expanded in 2023. EFE
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