SINGAPORE – The Type 88 missile is among several Japanese anti-ship weapons being considered to reinforce the Philippines’ coastal defenses, the country’s defense chief has said, in what could lead to Tokyo’s first-ever export of a completely indigenous, standalone missile system to a foreign nation.
Enabled by Tokyo’s recent easing of rules governing military equipment transfers, the potential sale of the Type 88 — or of a more modern land-based system — would help Manila expand its defensive capabilities amid a maritime row with Beijing in the disputed South China Sea.
Asked specifically about the Type 88, which was developed in the 1980s, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told reporters Sunday that he had personally observed a Ground Self-Defense Force’s (GSDF) test of the truck-mounted weapon during this year’s Balikatan military exercises in the Philippines, calling the weapon a “viable” option.
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