Author: Mico A Galang
Published: 17 Apr 2026
As the Philippines faces a more complex strategic environment, security cooperation with like-minded countries is critical. This Long Read examines the strategic partnership between Japan and the Philippines, particularly under the Marcos Jr administration.
In a speech delivered in August 2025, President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr reiterated his earlier observation that amidst the evolving “multipolar world”, the “continuing strategic competition” among the great powers has permeated the “evolving regional landscape and creates dilemmas that weigh on the strategic choices of regional states”. Such rivalry is “contributing to a more tense geopolitical landscape, with regional flashpoints potentially serving as tinderboxes for conflict”. In this context, the Marcos Jr government has placed the dispute in the South China Sea (SCS) as a top security concern.
For full article, please open the link:
The article was published by ISEAS.
IRSEA and ISEAS have agreed to enter into a relationship of cooperation.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position or view of IRSEA