Japan and Philippines sign new defence pact as they face growing China aggression

Japan and the Philippines signed a defense pact on Thursday that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters.
Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that potential Chinese action against Taiwan could spark Japanese intervention.
Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East China Sea and South China Sea that have continued to flare and threaten to draw in the United States, a treaty ally of the two Asian nations.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi signed the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement with Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro in Manila. During the ceremony, Japan also announced new security and economic development assistance to the Philippines.
The military logistical agreement, which has to be ratified by Japanese legislators before it takes effect, is the latest key defense pact to be forged between Japan and the Philippines to deepen their security alliance.
Aside from facilitating joint combat drills, it would also help Japan and the Philippines jointly respond to natural disasters, a mutual concern, and participate in peacekeeping operations by the United Nations, according to Japanese and Philippine officials.
In mid-2024, both countries signed the Reciprocal Access Agreement, which allows the deployment of forces of either country to the other’s territory for joint and larger combat exercises, including live-fire drills. The RAA took effect in September.
Japanese and Philippine officials are still negotiating another agreement that aims to boost the security of highly confidential defense and military information the countries could share. When Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and then-Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba jointly announced the start of negotiations for the Acquisition and Cross-servicing Agreement in Manila in April last year, Ishiba underscored the opposition by their countries of “any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo through force or coercion in the East and South China seas.”