LAOAG, the Philippines–Japan went from watching to fully participating in a large-scale joint military exercise hosted annually by the United States and the Philippines for the first time this year.
Amid concerns of declining U.S. deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region due to the conflict in the Middle East, Japan aims to strengthen coordination among like-minded countries, with an eye on China’s expanding maritime presence.
The Self-Defense Forces joined Balikatan, which started on April 20, in a full-fledged capacity after the Reciprocal Access Agreement entered into force last year.
The bilateral pact facilitates mutual visits by the SDF and the Philippine military for joint training and other activities.
Until last year, Japan participated in Balikatan only as an observer, limiting its involvement to areas such as humanitarian assistance.
About 40 members of the Ground SDF’s Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade participated in a drill to repel an enemy attempting to make landfall from the sea by firing from the shore on May 4.
Along a sandy beach overlooking the South China Sea in the northern Philippine city of Laoag, GSDF personnel took up positions alongside U.S. and Philippine troops, deploying mortars, recoilless rifles and machine guns.
Crouching low to take aim offshore, they opened fire in unison, sending up countless columns of water and knocking out target after target.
“It is the kind of training we can hardly carry out to the fullest at home,” Col. Sho Tomino, commander of the 2nd Amphibious Rapid Deployment Regiment, said after the drill. “It proved highly meaningful.”
The Philippines views China as a major security threat. So does Taiwan, which lies about 400 kilometers north of the training beach in Laoag across the South China Sea.
Tokyo, Washington and Manila all emphasize that the training is not directed at any specific country.
However, the United States has been deepening its engagement with the Philippines with China’s maritime expansion in mind.
Japan has also been rapidly drawing closer to the Philippines through security cooperation.
A strategic hub of maritime traffic for Japan, the Philippines holds a high geographical importance due to its relative proximity to Taiwan, a potential flashpoint.
However, the country is underdeveloped in terms of military equipment and other capabilities.
The Philippines has been described as the “Achilles’ heel of Indo-Pacific defense,” according to a senior Defense Ministry official.
Bolstering its defense capabilities and deepening bilateral coordination have become shared challenges for Japan and the Philippines.
The alignment between the two countries is likely to accelerate after the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi fully lifted a ban on exports of lethal weapons in April.
Japan has delivered air surveillance and control radars to the Philippines since 2023.
A Philippine military spokesperson said the Japanese radar systems have enhanced the troops’ abilities to detect specific threats, adding that they would be used during Balikatan.
In April, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro issued a statement welcoming Japan’s easing of restrictions on weapons exports.
China, for its part, has stepped up its pushback.
“What the Asia-Pacific needs most is peace and tranquility, and the last thing the region needs is division and confrontation as a result of the introduction of external forces,” Guo Jiakun, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, said when asked about Balikatan at a news conference on April 20.
He added that countries binding with each other in the security field will only invite disaster and bring about self-destruction.
China also announced on April 24 that its military conducted an exercise involving live-fire drills around the Philippines.
(This article was written by Azusa Kato and Daisuke Yajima.)
