Japan and the Philippines are wary of China and want to expand their military ties

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan said Friday his country would begin formal talks with the Philippines to allow the deployment of Japanese troops in the Southeast Asian country, further strengthening ties between two countries that have embraced each other as bulwarks against China .

“We share our serious concerns about the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea,” Mr Kishida said, referring to Beijing’s increasingly assertive actions in the region. “The attempt to unilaterally change the status quo by force is unacceptable.”

Mr. Kishida’s announcement came after a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines at the start of a two-day visit to Manila. It was Mr Kishida’s first trip to the country since coming to power in 2021.

The countries are locked in territorial disputes with Beijing — the Philippines in the South China Sea and Japan in the East China Sea — and they flank Taiwan, the self-governing island that China has vowed to reclaim by force.

The proposed pact, known as a mutual access agreement, would give the Japanese military access to bases in the Philippines and make it easier to conduct more joint exercises.

The two countries began exploring the idea of ​​such an agreement in 2015, but the issue has taken on greater urgency as they increasingly face a more assertive China, with Mr Marcos saying the pact would help “peace and stability in the maintain the country’. our region.”

Japan plans to donate coastal radar systems worth about $4 million to improve the capabilities of the Philippine Navy as part of its official security assistance program, Mr. Kishida said.

Japan announced in April that the Philippines would be one of the main recipients of the aid program and has provided Manila with coast guard ships, satellite communications systems and air surveillance radars.

The two countries have relations that go back at least six decades. Japan is the largest financier of infrastructure projects in the Philippines, supporting projects such as the Manila subway, as well as bridges and railways across the country.

The military ties began in 2012, after Shinzo Abe took office as Japanese prime minister, and continued even under President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines.

Much of the deepening engagement also involves the United States, a treaty ally of both the Philippines and Japan. The three countries have participated in large-scale military exercises and exercises in the South China Sea since the beginning of this year. On Friday, both Mr Kishida and Mr Marcos said they wanted to strengthen trilateral cooperation.

Mr. Marcos, who took office in June 2022 to succeed Mr. Duterte, has taken a strong approach to foreign policy, seeking alliances and rebuilding the Philippines’ military ties with the United States and others to counter China.

In the Philippines, there is broad popular support for Japanese involvement, despite the brutal occupation during World War II. Dindo Manhit, the president of Stratbase ADR, a research organization based in Manila, said the group’s surveys showed that Japan was the most trusted country in the Philippines after the United States.

“Every time the US suddenly turns hot and cold, Japan has been consistent,” he said.

Beijing claims 90 percent of the South China Sea, some of which are thousands of kilometers away from the mainland and in the waters around Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Over the past decade, China has exerted greater control over the region, using the Paracel and Spratly island chains to expand its reach by building and fortifying outposts and airstrips.

That has alarmed much of Asia and the United States, which say they have an interest in preserving freedom of navigation on one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. China’s military buildup and increasingly aggressive maritime actions have raised questions about its intentions in the region and its willingness to comply with international law and norms. Beijing says its actions are in accordance with the law because it has “indisputable sovereignty” over these islands in the South China Sea.

These concerns are perhaps felt most acutely in the Philippines, where fishermen are being stopped by Chinese vessels and Manila is being prevented from fully exploring oil and gas deposits in an area that an international tribunal has ruled to be part of the exclusive economic zone.

Tensions between the Philippines and China in the disputed waters have recently escalated. Last month, Chinese ships collided with a Philippine coast guard ship and a supply boat in the South China Sea, prompting condemnations from countries including Japan and the United States, which reiterated that they would come to the aid of the Philippines if it is under armed conflict would appear. attack.

On Saturday, Mr. Kishida will address a joint session of the Philippine Congress. He will be the first Japanese prime minister to do so.