Strategic diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific: Japan and the Philippines

Apr 13, 2025 09:01 AM IST

This paper is authored by Pratnashree Basu, Don McLain Gill, ORF, New Delhi.

Shared concerns over China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific are pushing Japan and the Philippines to foster a strategic partnership, particularly in the maritime domain. This brief examines the evolving dynamics of the Tokyo-Manila strategic relationship in the context of a tenuous Indo-Pacific. It traces the evolution of Japan’s defence engagement from post-World War II pacifism to taking on a more proactive regional security role. Similarly, the Philippines’ shift from internal security to territorial defence has made Japan a crucial partner. Tokyo’s capacity-building initiatives, including the transfer of defence equipment and joint military exercises, have contributed to the enhancement of Manila’s maritime security. This brief argues that while this partnership has been driven by mutual concerns over China’s regional ambitions, it also represents the broader imperative of maintaining stability and the rule of law in the Indo-Pacific, particularly within the framework of Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision.

International Relations

The Indo-Pacific is emerging as a consequential geopolitical region due to the prospects of dynamic economic growth, on the one hand, and the rise of an expansionist China, on the other. Among the multiple flashpoints in the region, the South China Sea remains the most critical, given heightened risks of miscalculation or unintended escalation due to errors in judgment, misunderstandings, or misinterpretations of actions among the involved parties; the degree of power asymmetry; and concerns over future uncertainty. Within this protracted dispute, the Philippines has been facing more acute security risks in the West Philippine Sea—what Manila calls the part of the South China Sea that encompasses its 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

This paper can be accessed here.

This paper is authored by Pratnashree Basu, Don McLain Gill, ORF, New Delhi.