U.S., Philippines, Japan To Hold First-Ever Joint Coast Guard Exercise

U.S. cutter arrives at Manila port for joint coast guard drills  

Bloomberg: US, Japan, Philippines to Hold Drills Amid China Tensions 

The US will hold joint exercises with Coast Guards from Japan and the Philippines for the first time starting this week amid elevated tensions with China in the region. 

The trilateral drills will be done off Bataan province that’s facing the South China Sea from June 1 to 7, according to a Philippine Coast Guard statement Monday. The exercises will “strengthen interoperability” and will include maritime law enforcement training and maneuvering drills, it said. 

The exercises are unrelated to Manila’s sea dispute with Beijing, Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Armand Balilo told reporters. “This is a routine exercise between Coast Guards,” he said, adding that the US and Japan both requested the joint drills. 

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U.S., Philippines, Japan To Hold First-Ever Joint Coast Guard Exercise  

Philippines, U.S., Japan to hold first-ever joint coast guard exercise -- Reuters  

Philippines, U.S., Japan coast guards to hold first joint drills -- Nikkei Asia  

PCG to hold joint drills with US, Japan coast guards off Bataan -- Philstar

Japan And Philippines Agree To Boost Military Ties

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visits Japan © Thomson Reuters  

DW: Japan and Philippines agree to boost military ties 

The two island nations have taken a first step in what could become a wide-ranging defensive cooperation. It comes amid rising tensions and Chinese influence in the region. 

The leaders of Japan and the Philippines signed a defensive agreement on Thursday in Tokyo which aims to boost the military cooperation between the two island nations. 

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr met with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida during a visit to Japan. Both are looking to curb China's rising geopolitical influence in the region. 

The arrangement will see Japanese soldiers join natural and humanitarian disaster response training exercises in the Philippines. It has been seen as a first step towards broader defensive cooperation.  

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Update #1: Japan, Philippines agree to sharply boost defense ties (AP)  

Update #2: Japan, Philippines pledge closer security ties amid China tensions (Reuters)  

WNU Editor: According to the U.S., everyone in Asia is banding together to counter an aggressive China and North Korea .... U.S. and allies in Asia ready for ‘aggression’ from China, North Korea, general says (PBS/AP).

Air Forces Of Japan And The Philippines Will Hold Their First-Ever Joint Exercises Next Week

Japan's Air Self-Defense Force personnel prepare for a review by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at Iruma Air Base in Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan on November 28, 2020.  

CNN: Japan to hold first joint air force exercises with Philippines in sign of closer defense ties 

The air forces of Japan and the Philippines will hold their first-ever joint exercises next week, Japan's embassy in Manila said on Thursday, in a further sign of deepening defense ties between the two countries. 

The air-to-air bilateral training in humanitarian and disaster relief, which Japan's embassy described as a "significant milestone" for joint defense cooperation, will take place from July 5 to July 8 at Clark Air Base, formerly a United States military facility in the northern Philippines. 

The exercises will include a Japanese C-130H cargo aircraft and its personnel which together with Philippine airmen will simulate delivery of relief goods in isolated areas.  

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WNU Editor: The war and the bitterness that it spawned among the Philippine people over the occupation ended 76 years ago. It looks like both sides are finally coming to terms that it is time to move on.