Before the agreement comes into effect, it will need to be ratified by Japanese lawmakers.
The document was signed amid rising tensions between Tokyo and Beijing, especially following recent statements by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takichi that potential actions by China regarding Taiwan could provoke a response from Japan.
Additionally, Japan and the Philippines have their own territorial disputes with China in the East China Sea and the South China Sea. These conflicts continue to escalate and, according to experts, could involve the United States in the confrontation.
Japanese and Philippine officials also note that the new agreement will assist the countries in participating in UN peacekeeping operations.
In the context of the current Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, who took office in 2022, there has been an increase in confrontations between Chinese vessels and Philippine coast guard ships in the South China Sea. Unlike his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who fostered closer ties with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Marcos is taking a more proactive stance.
China claims most of the waters of the South China Sea, where it has significantly increased its naval presence and created artificial islands. Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, and Taiwan are also involved in this territorial conflict.
