Japan and the Philippines Sign New Defense Agreement, Accused of Targeting China
Japanese Foreign Minister Masuda Toshimitsu, who is visiting Manila, signed the "Agreement on Cooperation in the Supply of Materiel and Services" (ACSA) with Philippine Foreign Minister Ressa on the 15th. According to Associated Press, this is the latest important defense agreement signed by Japan and the Philippines to deepen their security alliance, which will allow the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the Philippine military to provide essential supplies such as ammunition, fuel, and food tax-free during joint training, to enhance so-called "deterrence" against China and strengthen disaster response preparedness.
This agreement requires approval from Japan's legislative body before it can take effect. Prior to that, the Japan-Philippines "Reciprocal Access Agreement" came into force in September 2025. The Associated Press mentioned that Japanese and Philippine officials are currently still negotiating another agreement to further enhance the security of shared defense and military intelligence.
According to Reuters on the 15th, during the signing ceremony, Japan also announced new security and development assistance to the Philippines, including $6 million in Japan's "Government Security Capacity Enhancement Support" (OSA), used to build facilities for storing hard inflatable boats donated by Japan to enhance the Philippine Navy's capabilities. On the same day, Masuda Toshimitsu disclosed that the coastal radar system provided by Japan through OSA had arrived in the Philippines on the 14th. He also discussed the possibility of providing "Multi-Purpose Rapid Response Vessels" (MRRV) with Ressa.
According to the report, Masuda Toshimitsu claimed that both sides agreed to continue opposing "unilateral changes in the status quo by force or coercion" in the East China Sea and South China Sea, and emphasized the importance of the trilateral cooperation between Japan, the US, and the Philippines. Ressa said that Japan is a "crucial strategic partner," and stressed that both sides recognize the importance of so-called freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.
On the 15th, Wang Hanyi, a researcher at the Center for Sino-British People-to-People Exchange at Shanghai International Studies University, told a reporter from Global Times that the so-called "disaster prevention cooperation" is actually a cover for military front-line deployment. The Japan-Philippines signing of defense agreements and strengthening of military cooperation is a dangerous act that creates factional confrontation and undermines peace and stability in the region. China will resolutely safeguard its territorial integrity and maritime rights and interests, and any attempt to build an exclusive security framework will only force regional countries to more firmly unite to protect the cooperative security architecture centered on ASEAN.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1854435189051460/
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