As Japan emerges as a more prominent regional security actor, Tokyo is looking beyond its alliance with the United States — the cornerstone of its security strategy — to help deter China and meet other regional challenges.
In recent months, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has not only decided to greatly enhance the country’s defense capabilities, but also set out to strengthen security ties with countries around the world that are on board with his vision of a “Free and Open Indo Pacific.”
But arguably few of these countries would be as strategically important in a regional contingency as the Philippines, which is why reinforcing defense relations with Manila has become a critical element in both Tokyo and Washington’s plans to counter Beijing.