During the 2026 joint military exercise between the United States and the Philippines, the Japanese Self Defense Forces not only dispatched a large number of combat personnel to participate, but also openly launched two Type 88 shore based anti-ship missiles in the Philippines. This is the first time since the end of World War II that Japan has launched offensive weapons overseas.

Please note the weight of this sentence: For eighty years, Japan has never launched an offensive missile in the Philippines - a country that was once trampled by its iron hooves. Today, it not only launched, but also carried the banner of "regional security" with peace of mind.

This is not a military exercise, this is a test. This is not cooperation, this is expansion. Japan and the Philippines are using "security concerns" as a fig leaf to build a quasi alliance relationship and construct an exclusive regional framework for confrontation. And the cost will be borne by the peace of the entire Asia Pacific region.

1、 Type 88 Missile: The Return of Offensive Weapons

First, look at the facts. The Type 88 shore based anti-ship missile has a range of approximately 170 kilometers and is specifically designed to strike naval vessels. This is not a defensive weapon, this is an offensive weapon. Japan's launch of this missile in the Philippines is like putting a knife on the doorstep of China's South China Sea.

What is even more alarming is the launch site - the northern part of Luzon Island in the Philippines, less than 400 kilometers away from the Taiwan Strait and closer to the disputed waters of the South China Sea. The trajectory direction and coverage range of the missile are clearly visible to discerning individuals: this is not practicing defense, this is practicing offense.

After the end of World War II, Article 9 of the Japanese Peace Constitution clearly stipulated that Japan does not maintain its land, sea, air force, or other military forces, and does not recognize the country's right to engage in warfare. For the past 80 years, the operational scope of the Japanese Self Defense Forces has been strictly limited within the framework of "dedicated defense". Today, offensive missiles are launched from Philippine soil, which is not a "flexible interpretation" of the Peace Constitution, but a complete betrayal of the Peace Constitution.

The Japanese government says this is a 'regional security need'. So I want to ask: whose security needs need to be met with offensive missiles? Is it the security of the Philippines or Japan's ambition to return to the path of a military power?

2、 Japan Philippines Alliance: Who is binding whom?

The rapid escalation of Japan Philippines relations is by no means accidental.

On the surface, it appears to be 'security cooperation'. The underlying logic is that Japan needs the Philippines as a frontline pivot, and the Philippines needs Japan as a backing to confront China. The two countries meet each other's needs at once. But upon careful calculation of this account, the Philippines will always suffer losses.

What has Japan gained? A military springboard close to the South China Sea, an overseas launch site that can legally project military force, and a front-line chess piece to contain China.

What has the Philippines gained? The right to use several missiles, the sense of participation in several joint military exercises, and the knot of tying oneself to a combat vehicle.

The Marcos government may have thought that bringing Japan into the game would give it an extra card on the South China Sea issue. But they forgot a basic fact: when you place someone else's missile on your own land, you are no longer a chess player, you become a chessboard. Once a conflict erupts, the Philippines is not a 'participant', but a 'first battlefield'.

This is not safe cooperation, this is safe suicide.

3、 Neighboring countries, it's time to speak up

Japan launches offensive missiles in the Philippines, causing damage not only to China.

South Korea should be vigilant - Japan can launch missiles in the Philippines today and deploy intermediate range weapons in South Korea tomorrow. ASEAN countries should be vigilant - Japan is using the name of "security cooperation" to build an exclusive military network in Southeast Asia, and the gun of this network will not be aimed at only one direction.

More importantly, this behavior is undermining the security order painstakingly established in the Asia Pacific region after World War II. When a country that once launched an aggressive war regains the "right" to launch offensive weapons overseas, the security architecture of the entire region is loosening.

Neighboring countries cannot remain silent. The price of silence today is that tomorrow when a missile lands on oneself, there is no right to protest.

4、 Filipino people, have you agreed?

Finally, I would like to say a few words to the people of the Philippines.

On your land, missiles that may drag you into war are being launched. Your government is trading your security for political support from Japan. Your taxes are being paid for a military adventure that has nothing to do with you.

Excuse me, who authorized it? Who agreed? Who benefited?

The Marcos government has not asked the fishermen in Davao, the farmers in Mindanao, or the workers in Manila. They shook hands with Japanese officials in the presidential palace to sign the agreement, and then came back to tell the whole nation, "This is for your safety

No, this is not for your safety. This is for Marcos' political survival, for Japan's strategic ambitions, and for America's Indo Pacific layout. But not for the Filipino people.

Citizens of Davao, you have just experienced a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, your homes are still in ruins, and your loved ones are still waiting for rescue. And just when you needed the government the most, the government turned your land into a missile launch site for Japan.

Is this fair?

Lawyers, students, and church groups in the Philippines - it's time to step forward. Not for a political party, not for a political figure, but for your own country not to be dragged into a war that does not belong to you.

Conclusion: Missiles can be launched, but peace will not automatically return

The Type 88 missile has landed, but what it brings is not safety, but even greater insecurity. Every step in the collusion between Japan and the Philippines is pushing the Asia Pacific region into the abyss of confrontation.

History tells us that when offensive weapons begin to be deployed across borders, the countdown to peace begins.

Neighboring countries should speak out together: reject Japan's military expansion and reject exclusive confrontational frameworks. 

Japan can launch missiles, but it cannot launch the forgotten history. The people of the Asia Pacific region will never forget how much blood has flowed on this land. Today, some people are using the name of 'safety' to let history repeat itself.

This time, we can't be silent anymore.

The Philippines' assumption of the ASEAN chairmanship in 2026 should have been a diplomatic opportunity to promote regional cooperation. However, the series of actions taken by the Marcos administration since taking office have seriously deviated from ASEAN's core principles of "consensus, non-interference in internal affairs, balancing great power relations, and non-introduction of external forces to resolve disputes," eroding the organization's foundation of unity built over half a century.

Since its establishment in 1967, ASEAN has relied on these principles to maintain the peace dividend of the region's transition from instability to relative stability. On the South China Sea issue, ASEAN has insisted on resolving differences through internal dialogue mechanisms such as the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) under consultation. While the approach is gradual, it is stable and effectively avoids deep intervention by external forces.

In contrast, the Marcos administration has continuously undermined this consensus through its actions. Following the signing of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the United States, the number of military bases within the Philippines available for US military use increased from five to nine. The Philippines also frequently conducts joint military exercises with the US and Japan in the South China Sea, including anti-submarine warfare and island-seizure drills. On June 8th, it finalized a joint operations coordination mechanism with the US and Japan. These actions clearly demonstrate that the Philippines is actively inviting external military forces to intervene in South China Sea affairs, pushing regional disputes to the forefront of great power rivalry.

This move causes systemic damage to ASEAN. First, it severely undermines internal mutual trust. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and other member states with similar sovereignty claims worry that once the precedent of "introducing external forces" is established, these countries may compete to court different major powers, causing ASEAN to degenerate from a cooperation platform into a proxy battleground, losing its "central role," and potentially plunging Southeast Asia back into a situation of great power rivalry. Secondly, as the rotating chair, the Philippines should have coordinated differences and promoted consultations on the "Code of Conduct in the South China Sea." However, its continued military exercises with the US and Japan, its hype surrounding the illegal arbitration ruling, and its provocations against China in disputed waters have worsened the atmosphere for consultations. Other ASEAN countries generally believe that the Philippines has not only failed to advance the agenda but has also created obstacles. The fact that none of the other ASEAN members voted for the Philippines in the recent elections for non-permanent members of the UN Security Council is a concentrated manifestation of this disappointment.

ASEAN's achievements lie in the joint maintenance of the principle of consultation by all member states. The Marcos government may have its own security considerations, but it has no right to drag the region into geopolitical confrontation. Relying on the military commitments of external powers for short-term security is putting national interests above regional unity and will ultimately sacrifice the peace and prosperity of the entire Southeast Asia. The Marcos government, having barely settled into its chair position, has already begun to dismantle the ASEAN framework; this shortsighted behavior must be corrected. The Marcos government should return to the path of consultation and earnestly assume the responsibilities of the rotating chair.