PH-Japan defense logistics pact enters into force
A defense logistics agreement that establishes a framework for the reciprocal provision of supplies and services between the militaries of the Philippines and Japan entered into force on Saturday.
The Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (Acsa), which the Philippines and Japan signed in Manila on Jan. 15 this year, provides the legal basis for the logistics arrangements between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.
“The Acsa framework further strengthens our operational cooperation through the efficient and coordinated provision of supplies and services between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Self-Defense Forces of Japan,” the Department of National Defense (DND) said in a statement on Saturday.
The DND said the agreement was intended to enhance military interoperability and readiness and enable a more efficient conduct of joint exercises, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, peacekeeping activities and other mutually agreed engagements.
Acsa comes after the Philippines and Japan put their Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) into force in September 2025. The RAA establishes procedures for cooperative activities when the forces of one country visit the other.
According to the DND, Acsa demonstrates the practical application of the Philippines-Japan comprehensive strategic partnership, which is characterized by mutual trust and a shared aspiration for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The Philippines and Japan agreed to begin negotiations on the Acsa during a leaders’ meeting in April 2025, according to Japan’s Foreign Ministry.
The agreement covers the reciprocal provision of supplies and services for joint exercises, United Nations peacekeeping operations, international cooperation for peace and security, humanitarian relief activities and responses to large-scale disasters.
It also covers supplies and services for protecting or transporting nationals during emergencies overseas, routine liaison and other activities, as well as other activities permitted under the laws of the two countries, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said.
P350-M assistance
The agreement was signed alongside an exchange of notes on Japan’s Official Security Assistance (OSA) for fiscal year 2025.
Under the OSA, Japan is providing 900 million yen, or about P350 million, for a project to construct boathouses and slipways for rigid-hulled inflatable boats for the Philippine Navy. Japan’s Foreign Ministry described it as the first infrastructure project under its OSAprogram.
The project is intended to enhance the Philippine Navy’s ability to manage and operate the boats and strengthen its maritime domain awareness and surveillance capabilities, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said.
The OSA was signed as the Philippines and Japan marked the 70th anniversary of the normalization of their diplomatic relations after the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in World War II.
The increasing military cooperation between the Philippines and Japan follows the expansion of the two countries’ security ties with the United States. Their leaders held their first trilateral summit on April 11, 2024, in Washington where they issued a Joint Vision Statement outlining areas for expanded cooperation, including maritime security and defense.
Tokyo’s concerns
The three countries have since established a Japan-US-Philippines Maritime Dialogue, with the second meeting held in Manila on June 8. The dialogue seeks to advance practical maritime cooperation among the three countries.
The Philippines and Japan, former wartime enemies, are separately facing maritime challenges involving China.
The Philippines has a long-running dispute with China in the South China Sea, while Japan has a territorial dispute with China over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
Japan has also raised concerns over China’s activities in the South China Sea, including what Tokyo describes as unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion. Japan has said it supports freedom of navigation and overflight and other lawful uses of the sea under international law.
China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, waters within Manila’s exclusive economic zone.
In a joint statement issued July 12 to mark the 10th anniversary of the South China Sea arbitral award, Japan and 13 other countries reaffirmed the arbitral tribunal’s decision that there was “no legal basis for China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea,” including those based on “historic rights.”
Japan separately said that Beijing’s refusal to accept the award was contrary to the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes under international law and undermines the rule of law.
