By Adrian H. Halili, Reporter
MANILA should take advantage of its defense ties with Tokyo to improve its self-reliant capabilities, analysts said, as the Japan-Philippines reciprocal access agreement (RAA) is set to take effect next month.
Chester B. Cabalza, founding president of Manila-based think tank International Development and Security Cooperation said that the RAA will support the Philippines’ attempt at improving its defense posture.
“The RAA will become an equalizer for the Philippines in its bid to succeed in its second attempt for self-reliance defense posture and building a robust industrial defense complex,” Mr. Cabalza said in a Messenger chat.
Last week, the Philippines and Japan exchanged diplomatic notes on the implementation of the RAA on Sept. 11.
The RAA, signed by Manila and Tokyo in July last year, allows for the entry of equipment and troops for military drills and disaster responses on each other’s soil.
It was ratified by the Philippine Senate in December 2024, while Japan’s National Diet ratified it in early June.
“By operationalizing the RAA, these defense plans and strategies will be tested to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific with Japan and the Philippines creating game-changing norms in the region,” he said.
He added that the pact not only expands strategic relations between the Philippines and Japan militarily but also to diplomatic and economic significance.
“By enforcing the RAA, Japan and the Philippines pledged to train their soldiers in both countries, exchange security information, and boost its defense relations,” Mr. Cabalza said.
It also allows the Philippines to adopt best practices, in support of its self-reliant defense aspiration, Josue Raphael J. Cortez, a diplomacy lecturer at De La Salle-College of St. Benilde said.
“Forging such alliances may help out our troops to learn and share best practices with foreign counterparts, and at the same time allow our very own to gain access to defense assets that are integral for us to attain our goals and promote our national interests,” Mr. Cortez said in a Messenger chat.
He added that once the RAA is effective next month Japanese warships can now support patrolling over the South China Sea amid increasing Chinese presence.
“Despite us not aiming to employ force to promote our territorial integrity, it is high time that the Philippines further strengthen its presence over what is rightfully ours as Beijing seemingly props up its effort to challenge our sovereignty,” he said.
Manila can also utilize the defense partnership by getting Japan’s support for its modernization efforts, Lucio B. Pitlo III, a research fellow at the Asia-Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation, said.
“Manila can leverage this RAA to obtain support for its coast guard and military modernization through donations or favorable arms sales or concessional loans to finance construction of new patrol ships,” he said in a Facebook Messenger chat.
Mr. Pitlo said that the Philippines can also encourage more Japanese investors to develop its domestic defense and shipbuilding industry through the expansion of existing shipyards and creating a maintenance and repair hub for Japanese-transferred ships or providing technology.
“This can potentially provide Japan access to strategic Philippine sites where it can deploy assets. The agreement is expected to increase interoperability between the two-armed forces and their readiness to work together, likely alongside other allies and partners, to respond to contingencies,” he added.
The Philippine-Japan access deal is the first of its kind to be signed by Japan in Asia and coincides with increased Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea, where Beijing’s expansive claims conflict with those of several Southeast Asian nations.
Manila has been seeking to bolster its defense capabilities amid worsening tensions with China in the South China Sea. It has also increased its defense budget, with about $35 billion allotted to modernize its military in the next decade.
