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Visit marks Manila's latest move to strengthen defense ties with Tokyo and Washington
Two Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-15 fighter jets landed in Clark Air Base on Tuesday. (Photo by Yuichi Shiga)
YUICHI SHIGA, Nikkei staff writerDecember 7, 2022 02:33 JST
MABALACAT, Philippines -- Japanese fighter jets arrived in the Philippines for the first time on Tuesday as the two sides deepen defense cooperation.
The two Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-15 fighters landed in Clark Air Base in the north of Metropolitan Manila. The Philippines is just the third country where the Japan has dispatched fighter jets, joining the U.S. and Australia.
The air force exchange program, which began Nov. 27 and will last through Sunday, could complicate Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s attempts to build a relationship with China, a vital trading partner that has territorial disputes with Manila in the South China Sea.
The arrival of the Japanese jets demonstrates the stronger cooperative relationship between the two countries, Lt. Gen. Connor Anthony Canlas, the Philippine Air Force chief, told Nikkei.
"Strengthening cooperation between the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the Philippine military will not only aid Japan's national security, but it will also lead to both countries actively contributing to the peace and security of the international community," Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters Tuesday.
Japan and the Philippines are deepening defense collaboration. In April, the countries held their first "two plus two" talks between diplomatic and defense chiefs in Tokyo. Japan is exporting four units of an air defense radar system that detects incoming fighter jets and missiles. Japan has also transferred two patrol vessels to the Philippines.
Last month, the Philippine Navy patrol craft Conrado Yap conducted drills with Japanese destroyer Harusame near Subic in the Philippines, facing the South China Sea.
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"Japan and the Philippines would like to have a VFA [visiting forces agreement] in order for the Japanese troops to conduct exercises in the Philippines," Jose Faustino, the officer-in-charge of the Philippines National Defense Department, said last month.
The Philippines shares a VFA with the U.S. and Australia, so an agreement with Japan would lead to Manila conducting four-way exercises with Japan, the U.S. and Australia.
The Philippines is also deepening defense cooperation with the U.S., a military ally. In late November, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris visited Palawan Island in the Philippines -- near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea -- in a clear signal to China that Washington is engaged in the region.
Meanwhile, Manila and Washington have agreed to build additional joint training facilities on Philippine soil. The facilities will be able to store ammunition, fuel and medical supplies that could play a vital role in the event of a South China Sea or Taiwan crisis.
The Philippine constitution prohibits foreign troops stationed in the country without the ratification of a treaty by the Senate. In the early 1990s, U.S. forces left Philippine bases after lawmakers rejected a deal that would extend the use of the bases.
That withdrawal diminished the presence of the U.S. troops in the region, opening the doors to China's growing presence in the South China Sea.
Early in the last decade, then-President Benigno Aquino attempted a course correction with U.S. use of bases, but his successor Rodrigo Duterte shifted focus to economic relations with China.
In a break with Duterte, Marcos has emphasized cooperation with Japan, the U.S. and Australia.
"The Mutual Defense Treaty [with the U.S.] is continuously under negotiation and under evolution," Marcos said on Thursday.
China will be wary of the Philippines drawing closer to Japan and the U.S. Marcos is expected to visit China as a state guest in January and hold a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Marcos said it would be "impossible" not to mention "West Philippine Sea" issues during those talks, using the Philippine's preferred term for the South China Sea.
Additional reporting by Ella Hermonio.
asia.nikkei.com
Japan sends fighter jets to Philippines for 1st time in air force exchange
Visit marks Manila's latest move to strengthen defense ties with Tokyo and Washington
Two Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-15 fighter jets landed in Clark Air Base on Tuesday. (Photo by Yuichi Shiga)
YUICHI SHIGA, Nikkei staff writerDecember 7, 2022 02:33 JST
MABALACAT, Philippines -- Japanese fighter jets arrived in the Philippines for the first time on Tuesday as the two sides deepen defense cooperation.
The two Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-15 fighters landed in Clark Air Base in the north of Metropolitan Manila. The Philippines is just the third country where the Japan has dispatched fighter jets, joining the U.S. and Australia.
The air force exchange program, which began Nov. 27 and will last through Sunday, could complicate Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s attempts to build a relationship with China, a vital trading partner that has territorial disputes with Manila in the South China Sea.
The arrival of the Japanese jets demonstrates the stronger cooperative relationship between the two countries, Lt. Gen. Connor Anthony Canlas, the Philippine Air Force chief, told Nikkei.
"Strengthening cooperation between the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the Philippine military will not only aid Japan's national security, but it will also lead to both countries actively contributing to the peace and security of the international community," Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters Tuesday.
Japan and the Philippines are deepening defense collaboration. In April, the countries held their first "two plus two" talks between diplomatic and defense chiefs in Tokyo. Japan is exporting four units of an air defense radar system that detects incoming fighter jets and missiles. Japan has also transferred two patrol vessels to the Philippines.
Last month, the Philippine Navy patrol craft Conrado Yap conducted drills with Japanese destroyer Harusame near Subic in the Philippines, facing the South China Sea.
ADVERTISING
"Japan and the Philippines would like to have a VFA [visiting forces agreement] in order for the Japanese troops to conduct exercises in the Philippines," Jose Faustino, the officer-in-charge of the Philippines National Defense Department, said last month.
The Philippines shares a VFA with the U.S. and Australia, so an agreement with Japan would lead to Manila conducting four-way exercises with Japan, the U.S. and Australia.
The Philippines is also deepening defense cooperation with the U.S., a military ally. In late November, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris visited Palawan Island in the Philippines -- near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea -- in a clear signal to China that Washington is engaged in the region.
Meanwhile, Manila and Washington have agreed to build additional joint training facilities on Philippine soil. The facilities will be able to store ammunition, fuel and medical supplies that could play a vital role in the event of a South China Sea or Taiwan crisis.
The Philippine constitution prohibits foreign troops stationed in the country without the ratification of a treaty by the Senate. In the early 1990s, U.S. forces left Philippine bases after lawmakers rejected a deal that would extend the use of the bases.
That withdrawal diminished the presence of the U.S. troops in the region, opening the doors to China's growing presence in the South China Sea.
Early in the last decade, then-President Benigno Aquino attempted a course correction with U.S. use of bases, but his successor Rodrigo Duterte shifted focus to economic relations with China.
In a break with Duterte, Marcos has emphasized cooperation with Japan, the U.S. and Australia.
"The Mutual Defense Treaty [with the U.S.] is continuously under negotiation and under evolution," Marcos said on Thursday.
China will be wary of the Philippines drawing closer to Japan and the U.S. Marcos is expected to visit China as a state guest in January and hold a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Marcos said it would be "impossible" not to mention "West Philippine Sea" issues during those talks, using the Philippine's preferred term for the South China Sea.
Additional reporting by Ella Hermonio.
Japan sends fighter jets to Philippines for 1st time in air force exchange
Visit marks Manila's latest move to strengthen defense ties with Tokyo and Washington
asia.nikkei.com
