Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo S. Brawner Jr. underscored the importance of trust, rule of law, and regional cooperation in strengthening Philippines-Japan relations during a forum in Makati City on 24 March.

Speaking at the Stratbase Institute’s Philippines-Japan Forum at The Peninsula Manila, Brawner highlighted the growing defense partnership between the two countries as they mark 70 years of diplomatic normalization.

He said both nations continue to navigate a complex security environment through cooperation anchored on shared principles.

"Japan's respect for international law, freedom of navigation, and adherence to established norms aligns with the principles upheld by the Philippines for the region," Brawner said.

He cited agreements such as the Reciprocal Access Agreement as key to enhancing coordination and strengthening security ties.

"Through our partnership, we've shown that security can be strengthened without escalation, disputes managed without coercion, and trust built through accountability," he added.

Japan troops to join Balikatan

On the sidelines of the forum, Brawner said Japanese ground troops will participate in this year’s Balikatan exercises following the ratification of the Reciprocal Access Agreement by both countries in 2025.

“The RAA (Reciprocal Access Agreement) with Japan was recently ratified by both of our Congress, the Philippine Congress and the the Japanese diet last year 2025. So this year 2026 the RAA now allows Japanese troops to come to the Philippines to join the Balikatan exercise. So for the very first time after a very, very long time combat troops from Japan from the Japanese self-defense forces will be coming here to the Philippines to join us in the Balikatan exercise. I cannot divulge the exact numbers or what what type of units are coming in or the equipment that they're coming to, they're going to bring here. but suffice it to to say that they will be sending now a bigger contingent to join the Balikatan exercise,” Brawner said.

“They will be participating most of the exercises. Kasi yung Balikatan exercise natin is composed of several exercises. We have the field training exercise, the command post exercise, cyber exercise, etc. So they will be joining most of this,” he added.

Brawner said the annual joint military exercises, scheduled from April to May, were planned prior to the outbreak of tensions in the Middle East.

He said Japan’s participation will expand the scope of the exercises, alongside the United States and Australia, enhancing preparedness for both security threats and natural disasters.

“So aside from having more participants this year, makikita po natin that with the participation of Japan for instance, this will expand the scope of our defensive operations dahil ngayon kasama na natin hindi lamang yung Estados Unidos at ang Australia sa paghahanda ng pagdepensa natin hindi lamang ng Philippine archipelago but even our common areas. So mas mapapalawak na ngayon yung mga gagawin nating exercises at mas makakapaghanda tayo for any eventuality whether it is man-made or natural. Kasi hindi lamang gera naman yung gagawin natin. We are also preparing for disasters. Kasi katulad ng Pilipinas ang Japan ay parati ring tinatamaan ng mga mga bagyo, marami silang mga earthquake, may tsunami pa sila. And so pare-pareho tayo ng na-experience dito sa uh Pacific Ring of Fire,” Brawner said.

Cyber defense focus

Brawner said cyber defense will be a key focus in this year’s exercises, citing lessons from recent global conflicts.

“Because nakita natin na dun sa gera sa Ukraine and Russia and then dun sa Iran versus US and Israel, nakita natin yung kahalagahan ng cyber defense. Dahil bago umatake for instance ang ang Estados Unidos sa Venezuela at sa Iran, isa sa mga unang ginawa nilang hakbangin ay yung tirahin yung networks ng kalaban nila through cyber warfare. That is why it is very important that we develop this capability of defending our uh our resources, our networks,” he said.