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Ειδήσεις 20 April 2026 20 April 2026 Hits: 47

Japan steps up role in US-Philippine combat drill

Ειδήσεις 20 April 2026 20 April 2026 Hits: 47

NHK World Japan 2026-04-20

The Philippines and the United States have kicked off their annual joint military exercise. About 1,400 personnel from Japan's Self-Defense Forces are also taking part -- playing a direct operational role for the first time.

The drill is called Balikatan, which means "shoulder to shoulder" in Tagalog. In total, more than 17,000 service members are joining, including forces from Australia, Canada, France and New Zealand. Gen. Romeo Brawner, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said, "We remain guided by a shared commitment to uphold international law, to respect sovereignty and to contribute to a free and open Indo-Pacific where nations can thrive without coercion."

The exercise features live-fire drills, missile defense training and operations using land-to-ship weapon systems. Col. Higuchi Takeshi of the JSDF Joint Staff said, "We hope to deepen coordination and mutual understanding with other countries' units through multilateral drills and improve our ability to respond appropriately to various situations." Last September, Japan and the Philippines put into force a new cooperation pact called the Reciprocal Access Agreement. The accord streamlines procedures for deploying equipment and personnel, allowing Japan to fully take part in joint exercises like Balikatan.