TOKYO — Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. are expected to sign key agreements to boost their defense ties Thursday as Asia sees tensions around China’s growing influence.
Marcos is visiting Japan soon after he and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reached agreements on allowing the United States greater access to Philippine military bases to keep in check China’s territorial ambitions.
A defense arrangement that’s one of the most crucial deals to be signed when Marcos and Kishida meet later Thursday would allow Japanese troops to join more training exercises and respond to natural disasters in the Philippines.
It could lead to similar agreements with other Southeast Asian nations.
The two island nations last year held their first “2+2” security talks between their defense and foreign ministers, agreeing to strengthen their defense ties.
Kishida’s government in December adopted key security and defense upgrades, including a counterstrike capability that breaks from Japan’s self-defense-only postwar principle, while also doubling its defense spending in five years.
Japan under the new strategy will also use its development assistance to support poorer nations as they strengthen their maritime safety and other security capabilities. It’s meant to counter China’s growing regional influence.
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