Singapore – Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, affirmed Sunday that talks will be launched on the export of surface-to-ship missiles from Japan to the Southeast Asian nation.
Koizumi revealed this in talks with reporters after holding a meeting with the Philippine defense chief in Singapore earlier in the day.
Type-88 surface-to-ship guided missiles of Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force are expected to be up for consideration.
The Philippine side is believed to have shown an interest in procuring the missiles as the Self-Defense Forces used them in the Balikatan multilateral exercises conducted in Manila between April and May.
The SDF, which had taken part in the annual exercises organized by the United States and the Philippines as an observer since 2012, joined the drills on a full scale for the first time this year following the entry into force of the Japan-Philippine reciprocal access agreement in September 2025.
The possible procurement of Type-88 missiles is expected to help reinforce the deterrent and response capabilities of the Philippines, which is in a territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea.
Koizumi also said he and Teodoro broadly agreed that Abukuma-class destroyers of Japan’s Maritime SDF will be transferred to the Philippines as soon as they are decommissioned.
In addition, a TC-90 training aircraft will be delivered to the Philippines within fiscal 2027.
Koizumi also met with Singapore’s Defense Minister Chan Chun Sing.
They confirmed plans to set up a working group between defense authorities of Japan and Singapore with an aim to strengthen cooperation in the maritime and air domains as well as defense industries and technological foundations, following Japan’s revisions in April of its three principles on defense equipment transfers and their implementation guidelines.
