MANILA (Reuters) -Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was set to meet President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Tuesday during a two-day visit to the Philippines, as two of Washington’s closest Asian allies seek to boost security and economic ties amid rising Indo-Pacific tensions.
The visit comes at a crucial time, with both countries confronting growing concerns over China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea and broader regional security, while also navigating global trade tensions sparked by sweeping U.S. tariffs.
Ishiba arrived at the presidential palace in Manila late afternoon ahead of the meeting and was greeted by an honour guard and a member of the Marcos’ cabinet.
Marcos and Ishiba are expected to deepen defence and economic ties under their “Strengthened Strategic Partnership,” with talks focusing on Japan’s security assistance to Manila and a landmark military pact that would allow deployment of forces on each other’s soil.
The Reciprocal Access Agreement, the first of its kind Japan has signed in Asia, will ease the entry of equipment and troops for combat training and disaster response, smoothing co-operation between their militaries. While the Philippines has ratified the pact, it still awaits legislative approval in Japan.
Discussions will also focus on promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific and upholding a rules-based international order, the Japanese embassy in Manila said, reflecting the growing importance of security cooperation between the two maritime nations.
“Given the international community’s increasing division and confrontation, cooperation between Japan and the Philippines is more important than ever in realising a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Ishiba said in an article he wrote in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Both the Philippines and Japan have taken a strong line against what they see as an increasingly assertive China in the South China Sea and concern over tension across the Taiwan Strait.
Japan, which announced in 2023 its biggest military build-up since World War Two in a step away from post-war pacifism, does not have any claims to the busy waterway. But it has a separate maritime dispute with China in the East China Sea, where the neighbours have repeatedly faced off.
Ishiba’s visit to Manila, his first since becoming prime minister in 2024, also coincides with Japan’s participation in ongoing military exercises alongside Philippine and U.S. forces.
“With the increasingly severe security environment in the region, the relationship with the United States, an ally of both our countries, is becoming even more important,” Ishiba wrote.
(Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Martin Petty)
Comments