THE Philippines and Japan have different cultures, traditions and levels of economic growth. But their geographical locations in Asia necessarily put the two neighboring countries in a position to better explore cooperation in matters of defense and national security, rather than remaining neutral or worse, state enemies as they were more than 80 years ago.
The two countries signed last Monday a historic troop access treaty that will deploy both countries’ military on each other’s soil, upgrading Manila and Tokyo’s defense relations.
The pact, called the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), which both countries began negotiating last year, will strengthen the defense cooperation of two long-time allies of the United States, which is looking to counter any potential threat from China. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa signed the deal in a ceremony witnessed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
‘Filipinos must welcome the country’s defense cooperation with Japan, a neighbor that is ready to help even as the Philippines needed some time more to put its security and external defense in shape.’
The RAA provides the legal framework for the Philippines and Japan to send defense personnel to each other’s territory for joint exercises and other operations, such as coordinated maritime patrols. Once in effect (the Philippine Senate will still have to ratify it, the same with the Japanese legislative body), the RAA will allow Japan to take part as a full member in the annual “Balikatan” military exercise conducted by the Philippines and the US, in which Japan’s troops have previously participated as observers.
The agreement comes against the backdrop of Philippine-China tensions in the South China Sea, and Secretary Teodoro hailed the document as one that “upgraded one level higher” the partnership between the Philippines and Japan.
This deal also makes the Philippines the first in Asia to have this defense pact with Japan, after the East Asian nation forged similar agreements with Australia in 2022 and Britain in 2023.
The Philippines stands to gain some advantage when the RAA becomes operational, because the cooperation includes exchanging defense equipment and technology such as air and coastal surveillance radar, and will build upon Japan’s Official Security Assistance initiative which has provided defense assistance to friendly countries like the Philippines.
Political analysts pointed out that both countries have maritime territorial disputes with China, and they are facing increasingly assertive and aggressive Chinese naval forces, making such an agreement imperative. Others noted that US allies in the region such as Japan and the Philippines want to play a more proactive role in regional defense and security rather than just depending on the US for deterrence. For many years now, China and Japan have had disputes over islands in the East China Sea. Giving the RAA another geopolitical perspective is the issue of Taiwan, the self-governing territory friendly with the US and considered by China as its renegade province which must rejoin the mainland.
Both the Philippines and Japan are close neighbors of Taiwan, and any Chinese invasion of the island or start of hostilities will necessarily have an impact on both Japan and the Philippines. Already, the US military is ensconced in nine EDCA bases in the Philippines, several of them in northern Luzon just a few kilometers away from Taiwan.
Filipinos must welcome the country’s defense cooperation with Japan, a neighbor that is ready to help even as the Philippines needed some time more to put its security and external defense in shape.
