The Philippines, Japan, and the United States have kicked off their second round of joint coast guard exercises in Japan, shortly after the conclusion of a naval exercise between the Japanese and Philippine navies over the weekend.
The five-day exercise, which officially began on Monday, is the second trilateral coast guard exercise involving Japan, the U.S., and the Philippines, after the drills that were conducted off the coast of Luzon in June 2023. It is also the first such exercise to be held in Japanese waters.
In a June 6 statement, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said that the drills are intended to “enhance its collaboration and cooperation” with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), and Japan Coast Guard (JCG).
The drill will culminate in a search and rescue exercise off the coast of southern Kyushu on Friday, in which the three coast guards will simulate a collision between two vessels and an ensuing rescue operation. The purpose of the drill is “to highlight operational readiness, coordinated response, and reinforce regional cooperation in addressing maritime challenges,” the PCG added.
The Philippines is represented by its largest vessel, the BRP Teresa Magbanua, which arrived at Kagoshima Port on June 12. The 94-meter multi-role response vessel was built for the PCG by Japan’s Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., and is based on the JCG’s Kunigami-class patrol vessel.
As Nikkei Asia notes, BRP Teresa Magbanua is usually used to monitor Chinese vessels in the South China Sea, where the two nations have seen a rise in tensions in disputed waters. In August of last year, the vessel was damaged after being “repeatedly rammed” by a China Coast Guard vessel at Sabina Shoal, around 75 nautical miles from the Philippines’ Palawan Island, where it had been deployed since April.
This was just one of a string of confrontations that have taken place in Philippine-claimed parts of the South China Sea over the past few years, which have seen Chinese ships ram PCG and fisheries bureau vessels and hit them with high-pressure water cannons.
These tensions have driven a strategic convergence between the Philippines and its closest regional allies. While much attention has focused on the expansion of security cooperation with the U.S., Manila’s long-time security ally, Japan has also played an important role in this regard, sharing the Philippines’ concerns about China’s growing maritime power and ambition.
In addition to this week’s coast guard exercises, the Philippine and Japanese navies conducted joint maritime exercises in the South China Sea over the weekend. Officially termed a “maritime cooperative activity,” the drills were held on June 14 within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and involved the Philippine Navy’s newest frigate, the South Korean-built BRP Miguel Malvar, which entered into service last month, and the guided-missile destroyer JS Takanami of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
This exercise was the first to be held under the auspices of the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) that the two nations signed in July last year. The RAA, which was ratified by the Japanese Diet earlier this month, has made it easier for troops from Japan and the Philippines to enter each other’s territory for joint exercises and other cooperative activities.
“More than a maritime drill, the MCA underscored the operationalization of the RAA –an accord that lays the groundwork for increased joint training, humanitarian assistance, and disaster response initiatives between the AFP and JMSDF,” the Armed Forces of the Philippines said in a statement, Inquirer.net reported.
The RAA was signed three months after President Joe Biden hosted the inaugural Japan-U.S.-Philippines Summit in Washington, at the close of which the three nations “concurred to continue strengthening security and defense cooperation, including through dialogues among defense authorities and joint exercises, as well as maritime safety cooperation.”