Japan in May 2026: the most important developments in security
Japan in May 2026 expanded its military role abroad, most visibly in the Philippines. Japan's Self-Defense Forces fired anti-ship missiles for the first time during military drills with the Philippines, including the first missiles fired from Philippine soil, and sank a decommissioned Philippine ship. Reports said Japan was considering exporting surface-to-ship missiles to the Philippines, and the Philippine defense minister said he was interested in importing Japanese arms. Japan had lifted its ban on lethal arms exports at the start of the month. It also held its first trilateral defense chiefs' meeting with Australia and New Zealand, centered on the Mogami-class frigate, while New Zealand weighed Japanese or British warships as replacements for its frigates. Japan and Australia agreed to cooperate on the MQ-28A drone, and Japan said it would send officers to NATO headquarters to support Ukraine. The governing party considered raising defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP.
The Middle East war reached Japan's security agenda. A Japan-bound oil tanker was confirmed to have crossed the Strait of Hormuz on May 14, and on May 15 Japan joined a plan to deploy a multinational force in the strait.
China and Russia objected to Japan's steps. Chinese government vessels entered Japanese territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands on May 7, China opposed a planned US missile system deployment in Japan, and on May 28 China and Russia criticised the passage of a bill creating a National Intelligence Council. Reports said the United States delayed delivery of Tomahawk missiles to Japan by up to two years and plans to move a Global Hawk drone unit from Guam to Tokyo.
Police matters included the arrest of a suspect in a hammer attack on students, an alleged spraying incident in Tokyo's Ginza area that sent 19 people to hospital, and the referral to prosecutors of a US soldier over a sexual assault.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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