Advertisement
The Philippines
This Week in AsiaPolitics

As Japan and Philippines seek closer defence ties, could trilateral pact with US be next?

  • Manila and Tokyo have signed a proposed agreement to cooperate on disaster relief, a measure widely seen as a step towards a defence pact
  • The Philippines is a ‘perfect ally’ for Japan as it plays an important geopolitical role in the South China Sea, analysts said

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
37
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) conclude a joint press conference regarding a potential reciprocal military access agreement. Photo: Reuters/File
Julian Ryallin Tokyo

As the Philippines seeks to deepen its security cooperation with Japan days after granting the US greater access to its military facilities, some observers say a trilateral security alliance would be a logical next step amid concerns over China’s growing power in the region.

Advertisement
President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida signed a proposed agreement in Tokyo on Sunday that would permit the two nations’ armed forces to cooperate on disaster relief, a measure widely seen as a stepping stone towards a pact that will allow the deployment of military units on each other’s territory.
The move came as Marcos earlier this month granted US forces greater access to Philippine military facilities, a decision that China was quick to criticise on the grounds that it undermined regional stability and raised tensions.

In anticipation of more criticism from Beijing, Marcos was keen to underline that his government would be cautious in pushing ahead with any new security arrangement with Tokyo, “because we do not want to appear provocative”.

In many ways, the Philippines is the perfect ally for Japan as Manila is facing many of the same challenges from Beijing as Tokyo is
Yakov Zinberg, Kokushikan University
With tensions in the region increasing, notably over the future of Taiwan, experts said Japan was likely to want to forge closer ties between the two nations’ militaries sooner rather than later.
Advertisement

“In many ways, the Philippines is the perfect ally for Japan as Manila is facing many of the same challenges from Beijing as Tokyo is,” said Yakov Zinberg, a professor of international relations at Tokyo’s Kokushikan University.

Advertisement