TOKYO – Japan’s decision to send combat troops to the Philippines for the first time since World War II and participate in a ship-sinking drill in the South China Sea this week underscores Tokyo’s rising willingness to project military power on China’s doorstep. 

Along with US and Philippine forces, the Japanese military fired missiles in a practice sinking of a mock enemy ship off the northern Philippines’ Ilocos Norte on May 6.

The exercise is one of the highlights of the annual US-Philippine combat drills – known as Balikatan, or “shoulder to shoulder” – with Tokyo participating in a combat role for the first time. 

This year’s Balikatan, which ends on May 8, was joined by a record of more than 17,000 troops from seven nations. Japan is deploying 1,400 troops, making it the war games’ third-largest contingent.

For decades, Japan has restricted most of its military training to its own territory or in far flung locations such as the US and Australia.

The Type-88 missiles Japan used on Wednesday were first tested on its northern island of Hokkaido in 2025.

But since coming to power in 2025, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has shown a greater willingness than her recent predecessors not to be intimidated by Beijing.

Her suggestion in November 2025 that Japanese troops could be deployed if Beijing tries to seize Taiwan through military force infuriated China, which has accused her administration of pursuing “neomilitarism”.

Japan has also recently scrapped most restrictions around the sale of military hardware and Ms Takaichi has signalled a softening of its anti-nuclear weapon principles, which have also drawn rebukes from China.

Many of the component parts of Balikatan that Japan has been involved in – from maritime strikes to amphibious operations to missile defence – would be important in a potential conflict over Taiwan, said Dr Naoko Aoki, an East Asian security specialist at the RAND Corpor...