MANILA — Japan and the Philippines formalized a new defense agreement on Thursday aimed at strengthening military cooperation, deterring regional aggression, and enhancing disaster preparedness. The pact allows for the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food, and other necessities during joint training exercises between the two countries’ forces.
The Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) was signed in Manila by Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro. During the ceremony, Japan also pledged additional security and development aid to the Philippines, including funding for security boat shelters and expanded internet access in underdeveloped southern provinces once affected by a separatist Muslim rebellion.
“We both recognized the value of promoting the rule of law, including the freedom of navigation and overflight, especially in the South China Sea,” Lazaro said. Motegi added that both countries “concurred on continuing to oppose unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the East and South China seas,” a clear, if indirect, rebuke of Beijing’s assertiveness.
The agreement, which requires ratification by the Japanese legislature before taking effect, builds on earlier security arrangements, including the Reciprocal Access Agreement signed in mid-2024. The RAA allows Japanese and Philippine forces to deploy on each other’s territory for joint exercises, including live-fire drills. Officials are also negotiating a separate pact to strengthen the protection of highly confidential defense information shared between the two nations.
The defense partnership comes amid rising tensions with China. Tokyo has faced repeated incursions by Chinese coast guard vessels and aircraft in the East China Sea, while Manila has confronted increasingly hostile interactions between Chinese and Philippine coast guard ships in the South China Sea. Both regions are contested, with Beijing claiming almost the entire South China Sea and constructing artificial islands to reinforce its claims. Other nations, including Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, and Taiwan, are also involved in long-standing territorial disputes.
Japan and the Philippines’ new agreement not only facilitates joint military drills but also enables coordinated responses to natural disasters and participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations, according to officials.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and then-Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba first announced the start of negotiations for the ACSA in April 2025. Ishiba, without directly naming China, called for continued cooperation to realize “a free and open Indo-Pacific based on the rule of law.”
The United States, a treaty ally of both Tokyo and Manila, has repeatedly warned Beijing over escalating acts of aggression in the disputed waters, reaffirming support for regional stability in Asia.
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