Philippines, Japan to expand defense equipment cooperation
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and Japan have agreed to deepen their defense cooperation by creating a new high-level dialogue focused on defense equipment sharing amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea.
During their bilateral talks in Manila, both countries' defense chiefs also agreed to deepen military ties, including the establishment of a strategic dialogue between senior military officers to enhance information sharing and operational collaboration, while expanding personnel exchanges.
The agreements were forged during the dialogue between Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani on Monday, February 24 — one of the last engagements of the Japanese minister before the end of his first official visit to the Philippines.
Before his dialogue with Teodoro, Nakatani was at a military base in La Union yesterday to inspect Japanese-provided air surveillance radar systems that the Philippines uses to monitor its airspace in the South China Sea.
The Philippines has so far received three such radar systems from Japan, with another delivery expected before the end of 2025, according to the Philippine Air Force.
"I was very encouraged by my close observation that Japanese Air Surveillance Radar Systems are making an extremely large contribution to the air defense of the Philippines and peace and stability in the South China Sea," Nakatani said during his and Teodoro's joint press briefing on Monday.
Cooperation on defense equipment
Nakatani announced that he and Teodoro have agreed to launch a new high-level dialogue between their defense equipment authorities, which will include sending Japanese public and private sector missions to the Philippines to advance "mutually beneficial" defense equipment and technology cooperation.
"Having confirmed that cooperation on contracted Japanese Air Surveillance and Radio System is in progress, we also concurred the launch of a new high-level dialogue between the defense equipment authorities as well as the dispatch of Japanese public and private mission to the Philippines from the perspective of further advancing cooperation in mutually beneficial manner," the Japanese defense minister said.
Teodoro said their meeting covered regional security issues — including the situation in the South China Sea — and shared initiatives. He said it focused not just on bilateral security enhancements, but also on promoting "a sustainable, economically beneficial, and defense-sustained defense industry partnership."
Strategic dialogue
The two defense chiefs also agreed to establish "a strategic dialogue between high-level operational action officers" and advance discussions on military information information sharing.
"We agree to commence discussion between defense authorities on military information protection mechanism," the Japan's defense minister said.
Both countries will also enhance personnel exchanges through Japan's National Defense Academy. "Yesterday at Wallace Air Station, I was able to meet with a graduate of Japanese National Defense Academy... They are now serving in the Philippines and they are playing active roles," Nakatani said, confirming they "will continue to promote multilayered people-to-people exchanges."
"The security environment surrounding us is becoming increasingly severe," Nakatani said, stating that "it is necessary for the two countries as strategic partners to further enhance defense cooperation and collaboration."
Teodoro stressed both countries' shared commitment to opposing changes to the regional status quo. "We share the common cause of resisting any unilateral attempt to reshape the global order without the consent of the participants of this global order and the attempt to reshape international law by force. And this endeavor we will resist," he said.
Nakatani vowed to boost Tokyo's defense ties with Manila. "Japan will continue to strengthen Japan-Philippines cooperation and make every effort to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region," he said.
The dialogue also highlighted Japan's continued support for the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) through its Official Security Assistance (OSA) Program.
The Philippines has been the only recipient of Japan's OSA for two consecutive years.
Growing ties between Manila and Tokyo
Last year, the Philippine Senate ratified a reciprocal access agreement between the Philippines and Japan that allowed both countries to deploy troops to each other's soil.
The Philippines and Japan are both key US allies in Asia and have expressed increasing alarm over territorial disputes in the South China Sea and East China Sea.
China claims most of the South China Sea through its "nine-dash line" demarcation, which overlaps with the Philippines' exclusive economic zone and sovereign territory. In 2016, a tribunal constituted under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea ruled that Beijing had no legal basis for its claim of historic rights to resources in the South China Sea.
Japan, meanwhile, faces its own maritime tensions with China in the East China Sea, particularly over the contested Senkaku / Diaoyu islands. Tokyo has also repeatedly voiced concern over peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
These shared challenges have pushed Manila and Tokyo to deepen their security ties in recent years, with Japan becoming one of the Philippines' major partners in military modernization efforts alongside the United States.
Japan last year granted the Philippines at least 1.6 billion Japanese yen or approximately P611 million to boost its aerial and naval defense capabilities.
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