Philippine marines visited Camp Asaka, Japan, Dec. 7-8, 2024, to observe the annual Yama Sakura exercise. (Philippine Marine Corps)
The Philippines will soon become a full participant in annual Yama Sakura warfighting drills involving U.S., Japanese and Australian ground forces, according to defense experts.
The Philippine navy, on Thursday, posted photos on social media of Filipino marines in Japan observing the weeklong exercise, which kicked off Dec. 6.
The drills involve 1,500 U.S. personnel, 5,000 Japanese troops and 300 Australian soldiers doing a range of training, including simulated missile strikes, from locations across Japan, Alaska, Hawaii and Australia, according to a Dec. 5 Army news release.
It’s the first time U.S. Marines have joined the command post exercise and the second year Australians have participated, the release said.
Philippine marines or soldiers will likely join Yama Sakura as full participants next year or in 2026, according to retired Marine Col. Grant Newsham, a senior researcher with the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies in Tokyo.
“Philippine military leaders have been visiting Japan over the last few years and the overall Japan-Philippine defense relationship has been developing steadily, he said by email Thursday.
The U.S. will welcome the cooperation, which shows four governments committed to mutual defense, Newsham said.
Philippine marines visited Camp Asaka, Japan, Dec. 7-8, 2024, to observe the annual Yama Sakura exercise. (Philippine Marine Corps)
The Philippines and Japan signed a reciprocal access agreement in July. Australia, which signed a similar agreement in 2022, joined Yama Sakura for the first time last year. Such agreements facilitate the movement of forces and equipment into signatory countries for training.
The agreement between the Philippines and Japan will promote joint exercises and disaster relief, said Carlyle Thayer, an emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales and a lecturer at the Australian Defence Force Academy.
The agreement notes how the Philippines is at a strategic juncture on the sea lanes with Japan, he said by email Thursday.
“The participation of Marines from the Philippines as observers at this year’s Exercise Yama Sakura and the inaugural involvement of U.S. Marines, clearly signals the Japan welcomes their presence and is likely to expand their participation in relevant military exercises alongside Australia which has already commenced reciprocal training with Japan,” he said.
The trend line seems clear, Thayer said.
“There will be increased bilateral military exercises, an expansion of bilateral exercises to include other security partners, and larger scale multilateral exercises involving Australia, Japan, and the Philippines in each other’s countries plus the United States in coming years,” he said.
Coast guards from Japan and the Philippines have been working closely for five years, according to Patricio Abinales, a professor at the University of Hawaii’s School of Pacific and Asian Studies.
“These are good moves given that we do not know what [President-elect Donald] Trump will do with the West Philippine Sea issue once he comes to power,” he said by email Thursday, using the Philippines’ name for South China Sea waters inside the country’s exclusive economic zone.
Manila has butted heads regularly with Beijing over disputed territory on the South China Sea. Meanwhile, Japan has clashed with China over disputed territory in the East China Sea.
“A decade ago the idea of any foreign troops training in Japan — other than the Americans — was political dynamite,” Newsham said. “Nowadays, nobody remembers what they were complaining about.”
