- Japan and the Philippines signed a defense agreement that allows Japanese forces to conduct joint training in the Philippines.
- The reciprocal access agreement allows Philippine troops to receive training in Japan.
- China has warned Japan that it should “seriously reflect on its history of aggression” in the region.
Japan and the Philippines signed a major defense pact on Monday that will allow the two countries to send Japanese troops to take part in joint military exercises in the Southeast Asian nation that was brutally occupied by Japan during World War II but is now building a Japan-Japan alliance in the face of an increasingly assertive China.
The reciprocal access agreement, which also allows Philippine troops to enter Japan for joint combat training, was signed in Manila by Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and witnessed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The agreement will take effect after ratification by the parliaments of both countries, according to Philippine and Japanese officials.
Kamikawa called the signing a “groundbreaking achievement” and said it would further boost defense cooperation between the two countries.
U.S., Australia, Japan, Philippines vow to strengthen defense cooperation amid rising tensions in South China Sea
Officials from Japan and the Philippines “expressed serious concern over China’s dangerous and escalating actions” at Second Thomas Shoal, the site of a recent clash between Chinese and Philippine militaries in the South China Sea. The busy seaway is a vital global trade route that is claimed almost entirely by China, but also in parts by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.
From left, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Defense Secretary Hilberto Teodoro Jr. pose while holding hands after a press conference at a hotel in Taguig City, Philippines, July 8, 2024. Japan and the Philippines have signed a defense agreement that allows their militaries to enter each other’s countries for joint military training. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
In a joint statement, the two leaders stressed the need for the international community to “speak out on the importance of maintaining and strengthening a free and open international order based on the rule of law” in the disputed waters.
In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said “the Asia-Pacific region does not need military blocs, much less small groups that would foment conflict between blocs or a new Cold War,” recalling Japanese atrocities in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, during World War Two.
“Japan should seriously reflect on its history of aggression and act with prudence in the field of military security,” the spokesman said.
The defense pact with the Philippines, which includes live-fire exercises, will be Japan’s first with Asia after signing similar agreements with Australia in 2022 and Britain in 2023.
Under Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Japan has taken steps to strengthen its security and defense capabilities, including a counterattack capability that breaks with the postwar principle of focusing solely on self-defense. Japan plans to double its defense spending over the next five years to 2027 to strengthen its military and become the world’s third-largest military spender after the United States and China.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, second from right, and Defense Minister Minoru Kihara await the arrival of their counterparts at a hotel in Taguig, Philippines, on July 8, 2024, ahead of a meeting to discuss bilateral relations, defense and regional security. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Many of Japan’s Asian neighbors, including the Philippines, were invaded by Japan until its defeat in World War II, and Tokyo’s efforts to strengthen its military role and spending could be sensitive, but the two countries have steadily deepened defense and security ties.
Kishida’s move dovetails with President Marcos’ efforts to build a security alliance to bolster the Philippine military’s limited ability to defend its interests in the South China Sea.
The United States is also working to bolster its military alliances in the Indo-Pacific to counter China and reassure Asian allies, including in any future conflict over Taiwan. Japan and the Philippines are U.S. treaty allies, and their leaders met at the White House in April, where President Joe Biden reaffirmed America’s “ironclad” commitment to defend Japan and the Philippines.
China’s ambitions against U.S. allies prompt Washington security summit with Japan, Philippines
Japan has a long-running territorial dispute with China over islands in the East China Sea, while Chinese and Philippine coast guard and naval vessels have been engaged in a series of tense clashes in the South China Sea since last year.
The deadliest clash to date occurred on June 17 at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal when China Coast Guard officers armed with knives, spears and axes repeatedly rammed two Philippine Navy supply ships, destroying them in a chaotic clash that injured several Filipino sailors. China Coast Guard officers confiscated seven navy rifles.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro shake hands after signing a reciprocal access agreement at Malacañang Palace in Manila, Philippines, July 8, 2024. (Pool photo by Lisa Marie David/via Associated Press)
Japanese and Philippine officials said China’s actions at the reef had “impeded freedom of navigation, disrupted supply routes and increased tensions.”
“Japan is firmly opposed to the dangerous and coercive use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels,” Foreign Minister Kihara said at a press conference.
The Philippines strongly protested the China Coast Guard’s actions and demanded $1 million in compensation and the return of the rifle. China accused the Philippines of inciting violence and claimed the Filipino sailors strayed into Chinese waters despite warnings.
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Japan and the United States have been the first to express concern over China’s actions and urged Beijing to abide by international law. The United States is obligated to defend the Philippines, Asia’s oldest treaty ally, if Philippine troops, ships or aircraft come under attack in the South China Sea or elsewhere.
