US, Japan and Philippines Pledge Deeper Defense Ties in First Trilateral Security Talks

On Friday, June 16, 2023, in Tokyo, three national security advisers sat down together for the first time in that format: Jake Sullivan of the United States, Takeo Akiba of Japan and Eduardo Ano of the Philippines. They left having agreed to strengthen their defense cooperation, at a moment when Washington and its partners are reworking their alliances in response to growing tensions over North Korea, China and Ukraine, according to Sullivan.

Sullivan said the three discussed a "turbulent regional security environment" and how to work together to improve peace and stability, with freedom of navigation and economic security among the topics. In a joint statement, the advisers stressed the importance of three-way cooperation that builds on the existing alliances between Japan and the U.S. and between the Philippines and the U.S. They named the Indo-Pacific as the focus, and the Taiwan Strait in particular.

The practical items were modest but specific. The advisers discussed opportunities for joint naval exercises in Indo-Pacific waters, and they agreed to deepen military cooperation on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Sullivan called the new trilateral framework "path-breaking" and placed it among several U.S. arrangements in the region, including three-way cooperation with Japan and South Korea and the Quad security dialogue, which includes Australia, India and Japan. Different groupings, he said, may have different priorities, but the agenda is expanding because the world is shrinking, and problems everywhere are coming to touch every country in the area.

The day before, Sullivan and Akiba had held a separate three-way meeting with their South Korean counterpart, Cho Tae-yong. Sullivan said that session had a "profound impact" on strengthening cooperation, following a recent improvement in Japan-South Korea relations.

The Tokyo-Manila link has been developing for months. When Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited Tokyo in February, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged 600 billion yen ($4.3 billion) in development aid and private investment. The two leaders agreed to have their militaries cooperate on disaster relief in the Philippines, a step seen as leading toward a pact that would let their forces visit and train on each other's soil.

Japan itself is changing. In December it adopted a new National Security Strategy that sets a goal of doubling defense spending to 43 trillion yen ($310 billion) over five years. The buildup includes developing a strike capability, a major break from the self-defense-only policy long observed under its post-World War II pacifist constitution. Under the strategy, Japan has begun security assistance to the militaries of developing nations, mainly in the Indo-Pacific. It is likely to supply non-lethal Japanese-made equipment such as radar, antennas and small patrol boats, along with port and other infrastructure improvements. The Philippines is a major candidate.

The South China Sea gives the talks much of their weight. China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei are locked in tense territorial standoffs there. The United States claims none of the waters but says freedom of navigation and overflight, and peaceful resolution of disputes, are in its national interest.

Sullivan also looked ahead on other diplomacy. He said Secretary of State Antony Blinken was not expected to achieve a significant breakthrough on his Sunday visit to China, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit to Washington later in the week would "mark a transformational moment in U.S.-India relations." As for the new trio, Sullivan said he, Akiba and Ano decided to meet again in the coming months to expand cooperation and information sharing.