Leaders of Japan and the Philippines agreed on Nov. 3 to begin talks about a possible reciprocal access pact, which would allow their troops to enter each other’s territory, amid concerns over China’s growing assertiveness in the contested South China Sea.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who was on a two-day visit to Manila, met with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for talks on bolstering their countries’ defense ties.
They expressed strong opposition to any attempt to alter the international order through the use of force and agreed to “commence negotiations on a reciprocal access agreement” between their countries.
The Reciprocal Access Agreement would allow Japanese and Philippine troop deployments to one another for military exercises and other security activities, including joint patrols in the South China Sea, that could serve as a deterrent to aggression in the region.
If finalized, the accord would be the most significant boost in the alliance of Japan and the Philippines in decades.
Mr. Kishida said that Japan will also provide millions of dollars’ worth of coastal surveillance radar to the Philippines.
He expressed “serious concerns” about the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, saying that any attempts to change the status quo by force is “unacceptable.”
US Backs Philippines in South China Sea
The Philippines and Japan have sought to bolster defense cooperation as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which rules China as a one-party state, expanded its military foothold in the Asia–Pacific region.The CCP has asserted territorial claims over nearly the entire South China Sea, including reefs and islands that overlap with the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, and the Philippines.
The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which China is a signatory, designates maritime areas within 200 nautical miles of coastal nations’ borders as part of their EEZ.
The Philippines’ position was recognized by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in a 2016 ruling. However, the Hague Tribunal’s ruling didn’t change the CCP’s behavior, with Chinese vessels repeatedly intruding into the Philippines’ maritime zones.
Two weeks ago, China’s ships separately blocked then hit a Philippine coast guard vessel and a supply boat near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea.
Japan immediately expressed its strong support to the Philippines, and the United States renewed its warning that it’s obligated to defend its treaty ally if Philippine forces come under an armed attack in the contested waters.
“I want to be very clear: The United States’ defense commitment to the Philippines is ironclad,” he told reporters. “Any attack on Filipino aircraft, vessels, or armed forces will invoke our mutual defense treaty with the Philippines.”
