Japan’s government is worried about China’s recent actions in the South China Sea and says that it intends to raise the issue with the incoming U.S. administration to ensure that Washington remains engaged on the issue, its foreign minister said yesterday
Speaking during a visit to the Philippines, Iwaya Takeshi said that Japan was “gravely concerned” about the intensifying tensions in the disputed waterway.
“The issue over the South China Sea is a legitimate concern for the international community because it directly links to the regional peace and stability,” Iwaya said at a news conference with his Philippine counterpart Enrique Manalo in Manila, the Associated Press reported. “Japan strongly opposes any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo by force or build up tension in the region. We strongly ask for easing of tensions.”
Iwaya’s comments came after a meeting with Manalo that covered “a wide range of matters relating to Philippines-Japan relations, including political, security, economic and development cooperation, among others,” the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
While Iwaya did not explicitly mention China, his comments were a clear reference to Beijing’s pattern of increasingly aggressive incursions into Philippine-claimed waters, including its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone. The past two years have seen an alarming increase in confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels, which have seen the latter rammed and hit with high-pressure water cannons. The most recent incidents took place this month in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal, which lies within Manila’s EEZ around 120 miles west of Luzon island.
In most of these cases, China has claimed that it was responding to Philippine “encroachments” into its own waters, and accused Manila of provoking conflict.
Harboring a shared concern with Chinese actions in the South China and East China seas, the Philippines and Japan have made significant advancements in security cooperation over the past year. In July of last year, the two sides signed a Reciprocal Access Agreement that will simplify the processes necessary for allowing troops from Japan and the Philippines to enter each other’s territory for joint exercises and other cooperative activities. The Philippines has also become one of the first recipients of Japan’s Official Security Assistance program, which aims to help boost the deterrence capabilities of its partners and allies. Speaking in Manila yesterday, Iwaya said that Tokyo would continue to support Manila’s maritime security.
Iwaya added that Japan and the Philippines will convey to President-elect Donald Trump the urgent need for the U.S. to remain engaged in maritime Asia.
“We will approach the next U.S. administration to convey that constructive commitment of the United States in this region is important also for the United States itself,” Iwaya said, according to the Associated Press. The Japanese foreign minister said that he planned to attend Trump’s inauguration in Washington, D.C. on January 20.
Iwaya’s stop in Manila is part of a Japanese diplomatic offensive aimed at Southeast Asia, which coincides with the changeover in administrations in Washington, a security ally of both Japan and the Philippines. Last week, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba traveled to Malaysia and Indonesia to promote deeper defense and economic ties.
“Southeast Asia is located at a strategic pivot in the Indo-Pacific and is a world growth center, thus partnership with Southeast Asia is vital for regional peace and stability,” Iwaya said yesterday.
Iwaya’s visit also follows a virtual call between Ishiba Shigeru, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden, following last year’s landmark trilateral meeting between the three nations.
The three leaders discussed trilateral maritime security and economic cooperation, and China’s “dangerous and unlawful behavior in the South China Sea,” the White House said in a statement. “The three leaders agreed on the importance of continued coordination to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific.”