Japan, Philippines to boost military ties amid ‘severe’ environment
Al JazeeraFEB 23
Japan-Philippines Forge Defense Pact Amid China Tensions
Above: After their bilateral meeting at a Manila hotel on Feb. 24, 2025, Philippines Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro (R) shakes hands with Japan's Defense Minister Gen Nakatani at a joint news briefing. Image copyright: Ted Aljibe/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Facts
Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro agreed to establish a strategic dialogue between their militaries and create a high-level framework for defense equipment and technology cooperation during their meeting in Manila on Monday.
The two nations will begin discussions on protecting confidential military information to facilitate intelligence exchanges, building upon Japan's previous export of air defense radars to the Philippines in 2023.
This agreement follows a military pact signed in 2024 that allows the deployment of forces on each other's soil for joint military drills, marking Japan's first such arrangement in Asia.
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
The security situation in the Indo-Pacific region has become increasingly serious due to China's reckless military actions — necessitating stronger defense cooperation among strategic partners to maintain regional stability and counter unilateral attempts to reshape the international order through force.
Pro-China narrative
The strengthening of defense cooperation between Tokyo and Manila represents mutual exploitation, with the Philippines attempting to complicate the South China Sea issue while Japan seeks to align with the US Indo-Pacific strategy and break free from its constitutional restraints.
