Japan and Philippines step up to strengthen their security ties, in response to China’s concerns

Japan’s and the Philippines’ defense ministers agreed on Thursday to strengthen security cooperation and extend joint drills between their militaries, citing concerns about China’s increasingly assertive military operations in the region.

Nobuo Kishi, Japan’s defence minister, and Delfin Lorenzana, his Philippine counterpart, expressed concern about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its implications for the Indo-Pacific, and said that any attempts to change the status quo by force are unacceptable, according to Japan’s Defense Ministry, which did not name China.

Japan has dramatically increased joint drills with the US and other allies, including Australia, India, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, over China’s assertion of territorial claims in the region, which contains some of the world’s busiest maritime lanes.

Japan is particularly concerned by Chinese military and coast guard action near the Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands, which China also claims and refers to as Diaoyu.

A Chinese Y-9 electronic warfare aircraft was detected flying above the Sakishima islands on Thursday, according to Japan’s Defense Ministry, however it did not breach Japanese airspace.

Kishi and Lorenzana also agreed to strengthen bilateral collaboration in defense equipment and technology transfer. In 2020, Tokyo and Manila reached an agreement on the transfer of Japanese air radar systems to the Philippine military.

As China’s influence in the region grows, the Philippines has become increasingly crucial to Japan.

For decades, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei have been involved in a violent territorial dispute in the important waterway.

On Saturday, the two countries’ military ministers will be joined by their foreign ministries for the first “two plus two” security discussions.