Japan and the Philippines are set to begin formal negotiations to conclude an information security agreement that would allow the exchange of classified security data, marking another step forward for bilateral security cooperation.
Nikkei Asia reported on Friday that the two sides will “agree to launch formal negotiations” on a General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) when Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visits Japan this week.
Marcos is set to begin his four-day state visit tomorrow, becoming the first Philippine president to visit Japan in more than a decade. He will meet with Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae on Thursday for talks that are widely expected to focus on security cooperation and shared concerns about China’s growing maritime clout.
As Nikkei reported, the GSOMIA would create a legal framework for the secure exchange of sensitive military intelligence, and would also facilitate closer cooperation between the Philippines and the United States, which has a similar agreement with Japan. Manila and Tokyo are also set to upgrade their current strategic partnership to a comprehensive strategic partnership and “affirm their cooperation in a range of fields including security,” the news outlet stated.
In addition to the U.S., Japan has already signed similar intelligence sharing agreements with nations including the United Kingdom, India, and South Korea, among other nations, but the GSOMIA would be its first such agreement with a Southeast Asian country. The Philippines also signed an intelligence sharing pact with the U.S. in November 2024.
The establishment of a similar pact between Manila and Tokyo would strengthen the trilateral relationship between the three countries and allow for the creation of a trilateral framework similar to the one between the U.S., Japan, and South Korea. It would also likely permit the Philippines to access more advanced military equipment from both nations.
Over the past decade, the Philippines and Japan have seen a steady convergence of strategic and security interests, driven by shared concerns about China’s growing military assertiveness, particularly in the East and South China Seas.
During a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu in Manila in January, Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro described Japan as “a vital strategic partner of the Philippines,” and said that the two nations would “continue to be bound by shared values of democracy, respect for the rule of law, and a commitment to peace, stability, and prosperity in our region.”
This has given birth to a strong Japanese interest in fortifying the Philippines’ military capacity in order to strengthen deterrence in East Asia. In January, Lazaro and Motegi signed an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement, which will facilitate the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities between the two nations when they undertake joint military exercises. The agreement helps buttress the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) that the two nations signed in 2024, and which came into force in September of last year.
Japan has also participated in joint patrols in the South China Sea and provided equipment to the Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine Navy.
Defense exports are likely to be a major topic during the summit between Marcos and Takaichi, following Japan’s lifting of its ban on exports of lethal weapons last month. Earlier this month, the nations’ defense chiefs agreed to establish a new framework for promoting defense equipment and technology cooperation. This is expected to facilitate an “early transfer” of used Abukuma-class destroyer escorts and TC-90 aircraft, as well as Type 88 guided anti-ship missiles.
As a report in the Japan Times noted, Japanese personnel fired Type 88 missiles during the recent annual Balikatan military exercises in the Philippines, which saw the participation of around 1,400 personnel, as well as warships and aircraft, from Japan’s Self-Defense Forces (JSDF). It was the first time that the JSDF had participated actively in the Balikatan drills, after years of participating as an observer.
Philippine media reports have also suggested that Takaichi will announce further grants to the Philippines under Japan’s Official Security Assistance (OSA) framework. In January, the two nations announced $6 million in OSA to fund the building of facilities to house rigid‑hulled inflatable boats previously donated by Japan, and funds to expand internet access in parts of the southern Philippines affected by the region’s separatist conflict. Under the OSA, Japan has previously exported surveillance radar systems to the Philippines.
In addition, the Marcos-Takaichi meeting is also expected to finalize an agreement on energy cooperation involving POWERR Asia, an energy cooperation framework with Southeast Asia that the Japanese government launched last month. According to Nikkei Asia, Tokyo intends to help establish a fuel stockpiling program run by a state-owned Philippine oil company, in part by helping to construct the necessary infrastructure.
