Funded by an Official Development Aid loan from Japan International Cooperation Agency, the US$507 million deal is Tokyo’s largest to date with the Philippines’ maritime law enforcement agency.
Japan’s role as a security provider had been well in the making, as the country had been updating its security and defence posture for some time, Cogan says.
This, according to him, has been evident in Japan’s updated National Security Strategy and National Defence Strategy, referring to the 2022 blueprints.
“Japan can compete as a security partner, or it can watch Beijing’s tactics in the region escalate or have no choice but to be more accommodative,” Cogan said.
05:12
Philippines races to upgrade its degrading military in the face of maritime disputes
Philippines races to upgrade its degrading military in the face of maritime disputes
Asean connections
While relations largely centred on economic cooperation, they expanded to include political cooperation and security, particularly in non-traditional security threats such as illicit drug trafficking, piracy, and terrorism.
Tomoo Kikuchi, a professor at the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies in Japan’s Waseda University, said many countries in the region would like to see a more proactive commitment by Japan to regional security.
“Today’s regional geopolitical circumstances are not one in which Japan competes as a rising imperial power, but one in which it emerges as a defender of the rule-based order.”
“But Japan has neither the will nor the capacity to act as a security provider beyond the region,” Kikuchi said, adding that contrary to Chinese narratives, Tokyo is not perceived as a military threat in the region due to the pacifist stance it has adopted over the years.
Often critical of Japan’s militarist past, China lashed out at Japan last year over its biggest military build-up since World War II, accusing Tokyo of helping Washington in its new Cold War against Beijing.
“[Japan should] not cause further loss of trust to its Asian neighbours and the international community,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said.
Chinese state tabloid the Global Times also weighed in last month with an article arguing that Japan strengthening its military with allies would harm regional peace and “maintain US hegemony”.
Tokyo was keen to maintain military balance in the region, but doing so was tough due to limited resources and Beijing’s rapid military modernisation, he says.
For instance, China inducted 148 new naval ships between 2013 and 2022, which Nagao pointed out is about the total number Japan has.
According to a Pentagon report on China’s military last year, China has about 370 warships, and the number is set to grow to 395 by 2025 and 435 by 2030. The current US fleet has about 280 vessels.
“Japan is trying to seek a new way of supporting many countries around China and making China face multiple fronts to divide [Beijing’s] resources,” Nagao said.
“Within Southeast Asia, there is generally positive receptivity for a more proactive Japan.”
“Long-term economic and multilateral engagement with Southeast Asia has contributed to Japan’s image as a trusted partner,” Tan said.
“In that calculation, it must develop new security partnerships within the region,” Cogan said.