Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
2024
Abstract
The security environment in the Indo-Pacific is becoming more complex due to intensifying great power competition as well as emerging and persistent non-traditional threats. The Philippines, in response, is recalibrating its defense posture by strengthening its network of bilateral and multilateral alliances. This paper examines the evolving defense partnership between the Philippines and Japan against the backdrop of Manila’s other strategic partnerships (i.e., with the US, Australia, and ASEAN) and asks this specific question: What are the risks and opportunities that the defense partnership with Japan poses for the Philippines’ national security?
Japan has consistently been a crucial strategic partner of the Philippines, distinguished by its normative commitment to peace and non traditional diplomatic tools like Official Development Assistance (ODA) and, increasingly, its developing proactive regional security diplomacy under its “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP) framework. Compared to the US or Australia, Japan’s defense collaboration with the Philippines is not characterized by hard security; rather, it provides low-risk, high-value, and non-offensive assistance such as capacity building, defense equipment and technology transfers, and maritime domain awareness, all of which are essential to the Philippines’ Self-Reliant Defense Posture (SRDP) program. However, challenges remain, as while Tokyo seeks to enhance its role in the region, existing normative and legal constraints under Article 9 of its constitution continue to limit its effectiveness as a regional security provider.
The paper explores how the Philippines can maximize its bilateral defense relations with Japan to strengthen regional deterrence and collective security while avoiding being entrapped in great power rivalries. Specifically, it argues that the Philippines needs to institutionalize its red lines, manage the asymmetries in strategic priorities, and integrate its partnership with Japan within an autonomous, adaptable, and diverse defense strategy amid the increasingly unstable security environment and geopolitical competition in the Indo-Pacific.
Recommended Citation
Tana, Maria Thaemar Camañag. "Strategic Alignment and Autonomy: Philippine-Japan Defense Collaboration in an Evolving Indo-Pacific Security Landscape." National Security Review 2024: Balancing Power: The Philippines' Defense Partnerships in an Evolving Security Landscape, National Defense College of the Philippines, 2025, pp. 36–55.
