Japan, Philippines Agree to Negotiate Possible Reciprocal Access Amid China Threat

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (C) prepares to leave Haneda airport in Tokyo on Jan. 8, 2023. Kota Endo/Kyodo News via AP

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.

The two leaders issued a joint statement reaffirming the strategic partnership between their countries and their commitment to maintaining a free and open international order based on the rule of law.

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.

“We are cognizant of the benefits of having this arrangement, both to our defense and military personnel and to maintaining peace and stability in our region,” Mr. Marcos said at a joint press briefing, GMA News reported.

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.”

The meeting followed Mr. Marcos’s visit to Japan in February, during which they agreed to bolster security cooperation through strategic reciprocal port calls and aircraft visits and the transfer of defense equipment and technology.

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.

President Joe Biden warned the CCP on Oct. 25, after the collisions that any attack on Philippine vessels in the South China Sea would trigger a mutual defense treaty.

“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.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.