Japan’s military pivot: US-Philippine drills reveal escalating regional arms race amid unaddressed root causes of tension
Original framing: “‘A big deal’: the military drills showing Tokyo’s growing focus on deterring China” — South China Morning Post
The US-Philippine military relationship traces back to the 1898 Philippine-American War and the Cold War-era Mutual Defense Treaty, embedding a legacy of external intervention that shapes contemporary perceptions of security. Japan’s post-WWII pacifism was enshrined in its constitution, but the 2015 reinterpretation of Article 9 to allow 'collective self-defense' marks a pivotal shift aligned with US strategic interests. Historical grievances, such as Japan’s wartime occupation of the Philippines, continue to influence regional trust deficits.
Japan’s participation in US-Philippine drills reflects a broader regional shift toward militarisation, driven by historical US dominance, economic incentives for arms sales, and unresolved territorial disputes rooted in colonial legacies.
The narrative obscures how these exercises deepen security dilemmas, where each action by one state is perceived as a threat by another, perpetuating a cycle of mistrust that benefits defense industries and great powers while marginalising indigenous communities and smaller nations. Historical parallels, such as the Cold War arms race in Southeast Asia, show that deterrence often fails to prevent conflict, instead fueling proxy wars and economic distortions. A systemic solution requires redirecting resources from military posturing to human security, leveraging ASEAN’s multilateral frameworks, and addressing historical grievances through reconciliation. Indigenous knowledge, often sidelined in security debates, offers alternative models of land stewardship and conflict resolution that could de-escalate tensions if integrated into policy. The path forward demands a paradigm shift from bloc politics to shared regional challenges, such as climate change and resource scarcity, which threaten all states equally.