Deepening US-Japan-Philippines security cooperation
The security cooperation between Japan, the United States, and the Philippines aims to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. This cooperation is steadily deepening. On July 10, 2025, a series of Asean-related meetings were held in Malaysia. During this time, the Japan-US-Philippines Foreign Ministers’ Meeting took place with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Philippine Foreign Minister Maria Theresa Lazaro in attendance. At the meeting, the three ministers, who discussed the situation in the East and South China Seas, expressed their opposition to attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force and coercion, and reaffirmed the importance of respecting the rule of law and ensuring freedom of navigation. Foreign Minister Lazaro also proposed holding a Japan-US-Philippines maritime dialogue by the end of the year, a proposal that the Japanese and US foreign ministers welcomed.
From the perspective of Japan, the Philippines, and the United States, China’s attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force and coercion are a major concern that undermines peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. In April 2024, the Japan-US-Philippines Summit was held in the United States, attended by then-Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida, then-US President Joe Biden, and President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
In June 2025, the Japan Coast Guard, the US Coast Guard, and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) conducted a joint search and rescue exercise in Kagoshima Bay, Japan. The BRP Teresa Magbanua, which participated from the Philippines, was provided by Japan to the Philippines in 2022. This joint exercise is expected to deepen information sharing and on-site cooperation among the three agencies and improve the PCG’s capabilities. The PCG faces intense interference from the China Coast Guard (CCG) in the South China Sea, so improving its response capabilities is urgent. Strengthening the PCG’s capabilities in the South China Sea will bolster the three countries’ joint deterrent power against the CCG’s attempts to alter the status quo by force in waters including the East China Sea.
Security cooperation between the US, Japanese, and Philippine defense authorities has progressed in the form of Japan’s participation in joint training exercises conducted by the United States and the Philippines. The Japan Self-Defense Forces have previously observed the annual “Balikatan” exercise conducted by the United States and the Philippines. However, in April this year, they dispatched a destroyer to participate in the actual training for the first time in “Balikatan 2025.” In May, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force participated in the “Kamandag 2025” joint training exercise conducted by the US Marine Corps and the Philippine Marine Corps for the first time. The Self-Defense Forces dispatched the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade to conduct disaster relief training with the US, Philippine, and South Korean Marine Corps, utilizing amphibious operations capabilities.
Bilateral cooperation between Japan and the Philippines regarding equipment is also progressing. In 2023, Japan exported air surveillance radar systems to the Philippines. During Defense Minister Gen Nakatani’s visit to the Philippines in February 2025, he met with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and the two countries agreed to establish a high-level consultative framework for long-term defense equipment and technology cooperation. In July this year, the Philippine Navy announced plans to send experts from the Philippines to Japan to explore the possibility of procuring Abukuma-class destroyer escorts that are scheduled to be retired by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
If Abukuma-class escorts are transferred from the JMSDF to the Philippine Navy, the operational capabilities of the Philippine Navy, which currently operates only two frigates, are expected to improve dramatically. Furthermore, improving the Philippine Navy’s capabilities will lead to smoother joint operations with the US Navy. The JMSDF will replace its retired Abukuma-class escorts with newer ships, so if the Philippine Navy acquires the Abukuma-class escorts, the total number of warships operated by Japan, the United States, and the Philippines will increase. This would strengthen the maritime forces of Japan, the United States, and the Philippines, improving their joint operational capabilities and further deepening security cooperation among the three countries. This would also make an important contribution to ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
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Masafumi Iida is director of security studies department at the National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS), the core policy arm of Japan’s Ministry of Defense.
