Marcos and Kishida Pledge Deeper Security and Maritime Ties Amid South China Sea Tensions

In Tokyo on Thursday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stood together at a joint press conference after their bilateral meeting and announced that their two countries would work more closely on security and maritime matters. Marcos is in Japan on a five-day working trip.

Marcos listed the areas where the two governments agreed to deepen ties: economic cooperation, security and defense cooperation, maritime security and safety, healthcare mechanisms, environmental commitments, and people-to-people exchanges. After the meeting, he said, he could confidently say the strategic partnership was stronger than ever as the two countries navigate what he called the rough waters buffeting the region. Kishida, who described Manila as a strategic partner, also stressed the collaboration on security strategies.

A joint statement issued afterward put some detail behind the language. It said the partnership includes the transfer of more equipment and technology, among them air surveillance radar systems, along with strategic reciprocal port calls and aircraft visits.

The statement also addressed the disputed seas. Both leaders expressed serious concerns about the situation in the East and South China Seas and strongly opposed actions, including the use of force or coercion, that could raise tensions. Kishida repeated Japan's support for the July 2016 arbitral award on the South China Sea. The ruling recognizes Manila's sovereign rights in areas of its exclusive economic zone that Beijing contests. China refuses to honor it. The two governments stressed that the award is final and legally binding.

They also called for an early conclusion of an effective Code of Conduct for the South China Sea, one that is consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and does not prejudice the rights of all stakeholders, according to the statement.

Kishida said he and Marcos will look into ways to strengthen cooperation among Japan, the United States and the Philippines. The prime minister said the countries plan an in-depth exchange of views on regional and international situations, including their collaboration toward realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific.

On the practical side, Marcos pointed to the development of a Subic Bay support base for the Philippine Coast Guard. The base could serve as the home of Japan-made patrol vessels of the 97-meter class. According to the joint statement, the effort is seen as improving maritime law enforcement, and it includes installing satellite communications systems on the vessels.

Marcos said he has invited Kishida to visit the Philippines in the very near future. What to watch next: progress on the Subic Bay base, the delivery of the patrol vessels and radar equipment, and whether the talk of Japan-US-Philippines coordination becomes a concrete arrangement.