"Japan is a vital strategic partner of the Philippines," Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro said in January, a phrase that frames a state visit set to recalibrate security ties across East and Southeast Asia.
Marcos’s four-day state visit and summit with Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to begin a four-day state visit to Japan tomorrow and will meet Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae on Thursday. The visit, the first by a Philippine president to Japan in more than a decade, is widely expected to place security cooperation at the top of the agenda and to coincide with a formal decision to launch negotiations on a General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).
What the GSOMIA would do
The reported GSOMIA would create a legal framework to enable the secure exchange of classified military intelligence between Manila and Tokyo. Nikkei Asia reported the two sides will "agree to launch formal negotiations" on the agreement during the state visit. The pact would facilitate closer cooperation not only bilaterally but with the United States, which already has a similar intelligence-sharing arrangement with Japan.
Strengthening trilateral security ties with the United States
Observers in the reporting highlight that a Japan–Philippines GSOMIA would strengthen a trilateral relationship among the Philippines, Japan, and the United States. The Philippines signed an intelligence-sharing pact with the U.S. in November 2024; a GSOMIA with Japan would help create a trilateral architecture akin to the U.S.–Japan–South Korea framework and likely permit Manila access to more advanced military equipment from both partners.
Defense equipment, exercises, and operational cooperation
Over the past decade, Tokyo and Manila have steadily aligned on security concerns, particularly those related to maritime activity in the East and South China Seas. Japan has already participated in joint patrols in the South China Sea and supplied equipment to the Philippine Coast Guard and Navy. In January, the two countries signed an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) that facilitates the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities during joint exercises.
Japan’s policy shift last month to lift its ban on exports of lethal weapons and a recent agreement between the nations’ defense chiefs to establish a framework for defense equipment and technology cooperation have practical follow-ups under discussion. Officials expect an "early transfer" of equipment that includes used Abukuma-class destroyer escorts, TC-90 aircraft, and Type 88 guided anti-ship missiles. Japan’s Self-Defense Forces fired Type 88 missiles during the recent Balikatan exercises—an event that involved about 1,400 personnel as well as warships and aircraft, marking the JSDF’s first active participation after years of observer status.
Official Security Assistance, POWERR Asia, and energy cooperation
Tokyo and Manila are also deepening non-kinetic ties. In January the two countries announced $6 million in Official Security Assistance (OSA) to fund facilities to house rigid-hulled inflatable boats donated by Japan and to expand internet access in parts of the southern Philippines affected by separatist conflict. Under OSA, Japan has previously exported surveillance radar systems to the Philippines. Philippine media reports indicate Prime Minister Takaichi may announce further OSA grants during the summit.
The Marcos–Takaichi meeting is likewise expected to finalize an energy cooperation agreement under POWERR Asia, a Japanese energy cooperation framework launched last month. According to Nikkei Asia, Tokyo intends to help establish a fuel stockpiling program run by a state-owned Philippine oil company and assist in constructing the infrastructure required to operate it.
What this means for the Philippine military, Japan, and the United States
- Philippine military and coast guard: Secure intelligence exchange and ACSA provisions would aim to improve operational interoperability and pave the way for transfers of ships, aircraft, missiles, and sustainment supplies that Manila could use for deterrence and maritime patrols.
- Japan: A GSOMIA would be Tokyo’s first such agreement with a Southeast Asian country, reflecting a policy push to fortify the Philippines’ military capacity and deepen Japan’s regional security footprint following its recent policy changes on lethal exports.
- United States: The arrangement is likely to further align Tokyo–Manila–Washington cooperation; Manila’s 2024 intelligence pact with the U.S. and a new GSOMIA with Japan would make trilateral information-sharing and operational planning more feasible.
The launch of formal GSOMIA negotiations during President Marcos’s state visit will be a tangible test of how rapidly diplomatic momentum can be converted into legal, operational, and materiel arrangements. The summit is expected to upgrade the bilateral relationship to a "comprehensive strategic partnership" and to address defense exports, equipment transfers, and energy cooperation as concrete deliverables.
Original reporting: Japan, Philippines to Begin Negotiations on Intelligence Sharing Agreement — The Diplomat
