Japan has boosted military expenditures, defense collaborations, and assistance in a determined attempt to unite like-minded Asian nations, as Beijing pursues regional domination.
This Japan military shift will be underscored when Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., a common US ally with whom Japan has increased military relations in recent years, visits Tokyo beginning on Wednesday, according to AP News.
Japan believes the forceful new strategy is required to counter China, but others argue it's an attempt to exploit enormous assistance to impose Japanese security policies on developing nations.
Marcos' visit comes days after he and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin committed to letting the US military use four additional facilities in Southeast Asia to deter China.
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Marcos will be joined by numerous ministers and a sizable business group for the official visit, which will include a Thursday working dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
According to Neal Imperial, the assistant secretary for Asian and Pacific affairs at the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, the trip is meant to "maximize the full potential" of the strategic alliance in all areas, and "reaffirm the strong and vibrant" Japan Philippines partnership.
Japan Embracing New Role
The agreements should improve Japan military and Philippine military collaboration as well as in the fields of infrastructure, agriculture, and ICT, per The Japan Times.
Marcos and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently agreed to provide US military access to four more facilities in the Southeast Asian country to counter China's growing aggression in the region, per an earlier HNGN report.
In a January news conference, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed that Japan will "take on new roles" in the Indo-Pacific region and promote stronger "defense cooperation" with the United States and mutual allies, per Vox.
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