Marcos open to Japan joining ‘Balikatan’

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is considering the inclusion of Japan in its annual “Balikatan” military exercises with the United States, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said. 

The chief executive said the possibility of Japanese troops participating in Balikatan could be studied following the historic trilateral meeting of Marcos, US President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

“I don’t see any reason why Japan should not be part of those exercises in the future,” Marcos said in a forum organized by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines on Monday.

“I think it’s a good move for us to make simply because it will make it easier for us to work together, and to coordinate together and to, so that we can do the most, focus where the problems are, and maximize the resources that we have,” he added. 

Last week, Biden told Marcos and Kishida that Washington's defense commitments to Manila and Tokyo are “ironclad.”

A joint statement issued by the three leaders expressed "serious concern" over Beijing's actions in the South China Sea, criticizing its behavior as "dangerous and aggressive."

The annual military exercises between the Philippines and the US are conducted under the Mutual Defense Treaty.

This year’s Balikatan, which will take place from April 22 to May 8, will highlight the country’s archipelagic defense strategy, the military said. Naval exercises will be held beyond the country’s 12-nautical-mile territorial waters in the West Philippine Sea.

France will join in the “group sail” in international waters. Meanwhile, Japan and Australia will not directly participate in the exercises, but will send observers. — Gaea Katreena Cabico