Japan and the Philippines signed a new defense pact in Manila on Thursday. The Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) facilitates the provision of supplies like fuel, ammunition, and food between their forces during joint exercises, aimed at deterring China's growing maritime assertiveness. Amid rising regional tensions, both nations emphasized upholding the rule of law in the Indo-Pacific.
Japan and the Philippines signed the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) in Manila on January 15. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro inked the deal, which enables the tax-free supply of essentials like ammunition, fuel, food, and other necessities between their Self-Defense Forces and Philippine military during joint exercises. This pact, Japan's first ACSA with an ASEAN member, makes the Philippines the 11th country to conclude such an agreement with Tokyo, alongside allies like the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
At the signing ceremony, Lazaro stated, “We both recognized the value of promoting the rule of law, including the freedom of navigation and overflight, especially in the South China Sea.” Motegi noted that they concurred on opposing “unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the East and South China Seas,” a veiled reference to Beijing's assertiveness. Japan also announced security assistance, including funding for boathouses and slipways for the Philippine Navy's rigid-hulled inflatable boats at three sites under its Official Security Assistance (OSA) program—the first infrastructure project under OSA.
The ACSA follows the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), signed in mid-2024 and effective in September, which allows mutual troop deployments for exercises. Negotiations continue on a pact for sharing classified defense information. The move comes amid escalating tensions with China over territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas, where Beijing claims vast areas and has built artificial islands. Both nations, U.S. treaty allies, reaffirmed trilateral cooperation with Washington and pledged to bolster economic security, including resilient supply chains for critical minerals.
Initiated in April 2025 by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and then-Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, the pact enhances deterrence against aggression and supports joint disaster response and UN peacekeeping.
