On Friday, June 13, the Japanese Parliament approved the “Reciprocal Access Agreement” (RAA) with the Philippines. Prior to this, the legislative body in Manila had approved the agreement on December 16, 2024. This marks a deeper level of security cooperation between the two countries in the face of China’s expansion in the South China Sea.
The Japan-Philippines “Reciprocal Access Agreement” is the first defense agreement signed between Japan and an Asian country. This agreement provides a legal basis that will allow Tokyo and Manila to more smoothly deploy their armed forces and weapons equipment to each other’s territories, conduct joint military exercises, and engage in actions such as disaster response, further enhancing military cooperation and interoperability between the two countries.
General Romeo Brawner, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, previously stated in a release that the agreement is “an important step in promoting bilateral defense cooperation and regional stability.”
Earlier this year, Japan and the Philippines announced that they would hold regular meetings to discuss the Philippines’ defense equipment needs and began establishing a framework for intelligence sharing.
The Japan-Philippines “Reciprocal Access Agreement” enhances small-scale multilateral cooperation such as the U.S.-Japan-Australia-Philippines “Quad,” highlighting the coordinated response strategies of American allies in the region amidst the tense situation.
In recent years, China’s rapid military expansion and actions claiming sovereignty over most of the South China Sea have raised concerns and unease among neighboring countries. Despite the 2016 ruling by the Hague Tribunal rejecting its claims, Beijing continues to expand its maritime presence in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, exacerbating territorial disputes between the two sides.
Furthermore, the disputes over the Diaoyu Islands and the increasingly frequent military activities by Chinese forces around Taiwan have also raised significant concerns for Japan, the Philippines, and the United States.
Following Australia and the UK, the Philippines becomes the third country to sign such an agreement with Japan. Japan previously identified the Philippines as the first beneficiary country of its official security assistance program.
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