A Filipino "comfort women" activist has expressed strong opposition to Japan's participation in the 2026 "Balikatan" exercises, which began Monday in Manila.
The drills, bringing together forces from the Philippines, the United States, Japan, Australia, Canada, France and New Zealand, sparking opposition from Filipino comfort women advocates and reviving debate over foreign troops in the country.
According to Kyodo News, Japan is sending 1,400 personnel, its largest contingent ever, to the exercises, along with three ships and two aircraft. This marks the first full participation of Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) in the drills since World War II. The SDF plans to testfire a Type-88 guided missile during the exercises.
Sharon Silva, coordinator for the "Lila Pilipina" comfort women's rights organization, urged a halt to "Balikatan" exercises.
"Japan has not even atoned for the atrocities that it committed in World War II. So, now it is entering the country again for purposes of war. We do not want this. The 'Balikatan' exercises should be stopped. It should not be held in this country. We should not allow ourselves again to be used by the U.S.-led alliance and Japan to use our country as a staging ground for its war agenda anywhere in the world," said Silva.
Data shows that more than 1,000 Filipino women, dubbed "comfort women" during Japan's wartime occupation, were forced to serve as sex slaves in World War II. Only a few of the victims survive today, most of them frail and poor in their 90s. Their plight has kept alive demands for justice and apology, and groups such as Lila Pilipina say Japan's military participation in the Philippines is unacceptable until those wartime abuses are fully addressed.
The "Balikatan" drills, involving more than 17,000 troops, will run through May 8. The exercises come as the Philippines declared a national energy emergency in late March amid the Middle East conflict. At home, critics have slammed the government for permitting U.S. military presence while urging greater focus on economic recovery and improving livelihoods.
Filipino "comfort women" activist expresses opposition to Japan's participation in "Balikatan"
