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Philippines, Japan vow closer maritime ties amid rising Indo‑Pacific tensions

Article by J. Salazar

Published on March 26, 2026


The Philippines and Japan pledged on Tuesday to deepen their maritime cooperation as tensions mount in the Indo‑Pacific and disputes over the West Philippine Sea show no signs of easing. ¹ ² ⁴ In a joint show of support for a rules‑based maritime order, officials from both countries stressed that their partnership aims to bolster stability, reinforce international law, and enhance regional resilience. ¹ ² ⁴


“Principled restraint, coupled with resolve”


At a Stratbase ADR Institute forum in Makati City, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. described Manila’s approach as one of “principled restraint, coupled with resolve.” ³ He underscored that the Philippines would assert its maritime claims “through peaceful and lawful means,” anchored on the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s sweeping South China Sea claims. ¹ ³ ⁴


China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea within the western portion of the Philippines’ 370‑kilometer exclusive economic zone, a stance the 2016 award found incompatible with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). ¹ Brawner’s remarks signaled that Manila intends to pair diplomatic and legal action with measured deterrence, rather than direct confrontation. ¹ ³ ⁴


Japan’s maritime role in regional stability


Also speaking at the forum, Japan Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Endo Kazuya framed the Philippines–Japan partnership as more than an economic arrangement. ¹ ² “This partnership is not only about economics; it is about ensuring stability, upholding international law, and building resilience in the region,” Kazuya said, aligning Tokyo’s stance with Manila’s emphasis on a rules‑based maritime order. ¹ ² ⁴


Japan has increasingly supported freedom of navigation and backed the implementation of the 2016 award, calling on all parties to resolve disputes in accordance with UNCLOS. ¹ For Manila, that backing carries weight amid frequent Chinese coast‑guard and maritime‑militia activities in the West Philippine Sea. ¹ ³ ⁴


US and allied navies as de facto enforcers


Former associate justice of the Supreme Court Antonio Carpio argued that the continued presence of US and allied navies in contested waters effectively enforces the 2016 arbitral award. ¹ ³ “Every time the US and its allies sail in the West Philippine Sea … that is enforcement,” Carpio said, calling the freedom‑of‑navigation and overflight operations a practical recognition of the Philippines’ rights under the ruling. ¹ ³ ⁴


He urged the Philippine government to pursue further legal remedies, including potential new arbitral cases over overlapping extended continental shelf claims that remain unresolved. ¹ Such moves, Carpio stressed, would help entrench the 2016 award within the broader architecture of international maritime law. ¹


Broader coordination for a rules‑based order


Stratbase Institute president Prof. Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit emphasized that safeguarding the Indo‑Pacific’s rules‑based order requires wider, multi‑sectoral coordination. ³ He argued that defending Philippine sovereignty calls for partnerships that span economic resilience, security cooperation, and strategic alliances with like‑minded democracies such as Japan and the United States. ² ³ ⁴


These priorities are already visible in recent defense and security agreements between the Philippines and Japan. They include the 2024 Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), which facilitates joint exercises and port visits, and the Acquisition and Cross‑Servicing Agreement (ACSA) signed in January 2026, enabling mutual logistical support between the two militaries. ² Taken together, Manila and Tokyo say these arrangements aim to foster a stable, law‑abiding maritime environment in the face of heightened competition and militarization in the South China Sea. ¹ ² ⁴

_____________________________________________________ Notes:

³ Selective application: China asserts, defies international law at once https://globalnation.inquirer.net/315268/selective-application-china-asserts-defies-international-law-at-once

⁴ West PH Sea: Manila, Tokyo vow closer maritime ties amid tensions https://www.inquirer.net/471155/west-ph-sea-manila-tokyo-vow-closer-maritime-ties-amid-tensions/

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