Japan, Philippines Launch Defense Pact Talks, Push Back on China’s Aggression

 By Favoredjane

MANILA, Philippines (AP) Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced Tuesday that Japan and the Philippines will begin negotiations on two major defense agreements aimed at strengthening their security alliance, part of a growing regional pushback against China’s assertiveness in disputed Asian waters.

Standing alongside Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Manila, Ishiba said both nations are committed to resisting aggression in the Indo-Pacific, a pointed rebuke of Beijing’s expanding military footprint.

The proposed pacts likely to include a Reciprocal Access Agreement and enhanced security cooperation come as both nations face rising tensions with China over contested maritime claims. Ishiba’s visit follows a stop in Vietnam, another Southeast Asian country facing confrontations with Chinese coast guard and maritime militia forces.

Beyond security, the two leaders discussed the global economic fallout from the ongoing tariff standoff between U.S. President Donald Trump and China. Ishiba expressed concern over the damage to free trade and said Japan would work with Filipino stakeholders, particularly major Japanese firms operating in the Philippines, to find “a better solution.”

The talks mark a deepening of Japan’s defense role in Southeast Asia and signal growing alignment among regional democracies in the face of escalating Chinese aggression.