Manila, April 14 -- More than 17,000 soldiers from seven participating nations will be taking part in this year's "Balikatan" exercise set from April 20 to May 8, the spokesperson for the Philippine side said on Tuesday.

In a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Exercise "Balikatan" 41-2026 Philippine spokesperson Marine Col. Dennis Fernandez said the troops will come from the Philippines, the United States, Australia, Japan, Canada, France, and New Zealand. Hernandez did not give a specific breakdown of the participants.

The military official said the drills will cover land, sea, air and cyberspace domains.

Ground-to-surface missile

As this developed, Hernandez said Japan, whose Self-Defense Force will have an active part...