Japan’s maiden participation in Balikatan 2025 is the culmination of years of defense and security cooperation between Tokyo and Manila.
Balikatan 2025 is set to host Japanese forces as full-fledged participants for the first time. In this year’s iteration of Manila’s annual military drills, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force will conduct a joint patrol with U.S. and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.
According to preliminary exercise documents, the three nations are slated to sail in a Multilateral Maritime Exercise off the Philippine island of Luzon and beyond the 12 nautical mile territorial limit. Japan conducted its first joint patrol with Philippine forces in the South China Sea last April just before the beginning of Balikatan 2024.
On Friday, the Mogami-class frigate JS Noshiro (FFM 3) joined USS Shoup (DDG 85) and BRP Jose Rizal (FF 150) in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal for a joint patrol. Philippine media reported that a Chinese frigate monitored their activities.
Japan’s maiden participation during Balikatan 2025 comes amid the exercise series’ 40th iteration and a new “Full Battle Test Simulation” across the Philippine archipelago. The Japan Self-Defense Force sent personnel to observe the exercises in previous iterations. 15-16,000 troops from the Philippines, Australia, U.S., and Japan are expected to join next month’s exercise. Major activities will occur across the Philippine archipelago – particularly on the islands of Luzon and Palawan – and into the South China Sea and Luzon Strait.
While Manila and Tokyo are in the final stages of operationalizing a reciprocal access agreement – which would allow both nations to deploy troops on each other’s soil for more intensive military training activities – it is unclear if the Diet will ratify the treaty before the beginning of Balikatan 2025.
However, with the activity not taking place within Philippine territorial waters or soil, the joint patrol should not be impacted regardless of the agreement’s ratification status. This mirrors last year’s exercise, which saw France’s maiden participation through the Floréal-class frigate FS Vendémiaire (F734) despite the lack of a visiting forces agreement between Paris and Manila.
Bilateral defense cooperation between the Philippines and Japan has deepened in recent years amid increasing tensions in the South China Sea. Tokyo’s loans have funded a fleet of 17 coast guard patrol vessels, which are frequently seen during incidents between Philippine and Chinese forces in the disputed waters. The Philippines is also the largest recipient of Japan’s official security assistance, a defense-focused equipment transfer program.
In the 2023 and 2024 tranches, Tokyo committed $14 million in maritime domain awareness radars, rigid-hulled inflated boats, and air defense sensor upgrades.
