Japan set to send combat troops to Philippine exercises — Brawner

MANILA, Philippines — Japan is expected to send troops to military exercises in the Philippines instead of the usual humanitarian assistance and disaster response trainers, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. said on Tuesday. Speaking at the Peninsula Manila in Makati City, Brawner linked the expected deployment to rising maritime tensions in the West Philippine sea and the deepening defense ties between Manila and Tokyo. “And again, as mentioned by the Ambassador, for this year’s Balikatan exercise, we are expecting Japan to send combat troops to join in the exercise instead of just the usual trainers of HADR, Humanitarian Assistance in Disaster,” Brawner said. He said the Philippines and Japan are being drawn closer by converging strategic interests in maritime security, regional stability, and the defense of a rules-based international order. Brawner said those shared commitments were being tested by China’s actions in contested waters. “In the face of the People’s Republic of China’s increasing assertiveness in the West Philippine Sea and the broader South China Sea as well as the East China Sea, the Philippines remains firmly anchored in international law, diplomacy and transparency,” he said. He said the Philippines continued to uphold the 2016 arbitral award under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea while asserting its maritime rights through peaceful and lawful means. Brawner said Japan has consistently upheld the same principles, including respect for international law, freedom of navigation, and adherence to established norms. He said defense cooperation between the Philippines and Japan has expanded through capacity-building efforts, maritime security assistance, and more advanced joint and trilateral exercises.

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