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Agence France-Presse

The Philippine and Japanese navies held their first joint exercise on Friday in the South China Sea, as the two US allies boost security ties in the face of China’s growing pressure.
The drills followed the signing less than a month ago of an agreement between Manila and Tokyo to allow the deployment of troops on each other’s territory.
The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami and the Philippine guided missile frigate BRP Jose Rizal took part in the two countries’ first bilateral “Maritime Cooperative Activity”, the Philippine military said in a statement.
“This activity was part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen regional and international cooperation towards realising a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

The two vessels held a communications exercise and undertook tactical manoeuvres in the West Philippine Sea, Manila’s name for parts of the South China Sea that are closest to the Philippine coast.
These “enhanced the tactical capabilities of the Philippine navy and the (Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force) and reinforced the strong ties and mutual commitment to maintaining peace and stability in the region”, the statement added.
A similar exercise was held two days earlier, also in South China Sea waters close to the Philippines, between the Filipino navy patrol ship BRP Ramon Alcaraz and the US Navy’s littoral combat ship USS Mobile.


The Philippines and Japan are longtime allies of the United States, which has been strengthening its alliances from Canberra to Tokyo to counter China’s growing military might and influence in the region.
The deepening of Philippine-Japanese security ties comes as China’s sabre-rattling towards Taiwan and over the South China Sea fuels fears of a potential conflict that could drag in the United States.
There have been escalating confrontations at sea between Chinese and Philippine ships as Beijing steps up efforts to push its claims to nearly all of the strategic South China Sea.


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South China Sea

South China Sea: Japan, Philippines hold first joint naval exercise

The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami and the Philippine guided missile frigate BRP Jose Rizal (front) took part in the two countries’ first bilateral “Maritime Cooperative Activity”. Photo: AP

Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa (front left) and Philippine Defence Minister Gilberto Teodoro sign the Reciprocal Access Agreement in Manila on July 8 to allow the deployment of troops on each other’s territory. Photo: AFP

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The Japan Ground Self-Defence Force holds a ceremony marking the launch of a new ground-to-ship missile unit in Uruma, Okinawa prefecture, in March. Photo: Kyodo

(From left) Japan’s Defence Minister Minoru Kihara and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, and the Philippines’ Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo and Secretary of Defence Gilberto Teodoro join hands after a meeting in Manila on July 8. Photo: AFP

The US Army’s new medium-range missile launch system, Typhon. Photo: US Army

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Two US Air Force F-22 fighter jets (front) fly with two South Korean Air Force F-35A fighter jets during a joint air drill in South Korea in May. Photo: South Korean Defence Ministry/AFP

General Paul LaCamera (centre left), Commander of the US Forces Korea, suggested that South Korea is facing threats beyond Pyongyang, hinting at the spectre of China. Photo: EPA-EFE/Yonhap/Pool

A US Army helicopter transports a howitzer during a joint military drill between South Korea and the US in South Korea in March 2023. Photo: AP

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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (centre) greets US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin after their meeting at the Malacanang presidential palace on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro join hands after holding a joint press conference at Camp Aguinaldo in Manila on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

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‘Signal to China’: US military command upgrade in Japan mark of commitment to region, analysts say

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) greets US Air Force personnel before boarding his plane to depart Yokota Air Base in Fussa, on the outskirts of Tokyo, on Monday. Photo: AFP

US and Japanese officials during the Japan-US Extended Deterrence Dialogue in Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Japanese Defence Minister Minoru Kihara with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Defence Ministry in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday. Photo: AFP

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) looks at a mock submarine cable at NEC Future Creation Hub in Tokyo on Monday. Photo: Pool via AP

News

Asia

East Asia

The two nations’ vessels held a communications exercise, undertook tactical manoeuvres


The deepening of Philippine-Japanese security ties comes as China’s sabre-rattling towards Taiwan and over the South China Sea fuels fears of a potential conflict that could drag in the United States.
