Eye on China: Japan to sell patrol vessels to Philippines

NEW DELHI: Japan is set to sell patrol vessels worth $507 million to the Philippines, marking its largest deal to date with the country's maritime law enforcement agency. This move, funded by an Official Development Aid loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, is part of Tokyo's broader strategy to confront Beijing's growing assertiveness in the region through deterrence and more aggressive diplomacy.
Mark Cogan, an associate professor of peace and conflict studies at Japan’s Kansai Gaidai University, said that Japan's increasing role as a security provider stems from the need to counter China. "Japan needs partners, and it must become as much of a security partner as other countries like the Philippines need them to be," Cogan said. He noted that regional countries, especially in Southeast Asia, require reliable partnerships, particularly as the US is perceived as less reliable in the short term due to its focus on Ukraine and Gaza, a South China Morning Post report said.
Japan's evolving role is evident in its updated National Security Strategy and National Defence Strategy from 2022. According to Cogan, Japan must either compete as a security partner or face escalating tactics from Beijing.
Historically, Japan has maintained bilateral partnerships with Southeast Asian nations since the 1950s, primarily centered on economic cooperation but expanding to political and security cooperation. In April, Japan established an official security aid program to provide military assistance and equipment to regional countries, including Malaysia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Fiji.

Tomoo Kikuchi, a professor at Waseda University's Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, emphasized that many regional countries welcome Japan's proactive security role. "Today's regional geopolitical circumstances are not one in which Japan competes as a rising imperial power, but one in which it emerges as a defender of the rule-based order," Kikuchi said. However, he noted that Japan does not have the will or capacity to act as a security provider beyond the region.

China has been critical of Japan's recent military build-up, accusing Tokyo of aiding Washington in its new Cold