JAPAN’s evolving defense posture, marked by rising military spending and a more assertive security policy, is reshaping regional dynamics in East Asia and carries significant implications for the Philippines, whose historical experience with Japanese militarism contrasts sharply with its present-day strategic partnership with Tokyo, a geopolitical analyst, author and former diplomat said.
In a forum organized by Manila-based think tank Asia Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute, analyst Adolfo Quizon Paglinawan traced Japanese militarism to the 1868 Meiji Restoration, when Japan modernized to resist Western imperialism and adopted a European-style political system.
“The 1889 Constitution gave the military direct access to the Emperor, bypassing civilian control,” he said. “This structural independence allowed the armed forces to dominate politics and set the stage for decades of expansionist policies.” War victories, he noted, “cemented Japan’s regional power and instilled the belief that conquest was necessary for survival.” For the Philippines, Japanese militarism remains inseparable from wartime trauma.
“Between 1942 and 1945, hundreds of thousands of Filipinos perished from violence, famine, and disease,” Paglinawan said. “The economy collapsed, political institutions were dismantled, and abuses — including forced labor and sexual slavery — were widespread. Yet Filipino guerrillas never stopped fighting until Japan’s surrender.” In the contemporary period, however, Paglinawan emphasized that Japan “is no longer the occupier it once was. In Manila, it is seen as a strategic partner in both security and development.” The Philippines and Japan have formalized defense cooperation through a Reciprocal Access Agreement, enabling joint military exercises, training, and disaster response. Japan has also provided maritime surveillance equipment and coastal radar systems to support Philippine monitoring in the South China Sea.
Beyond defense, Paglinawan said that Japan remains a crucial partner in infrastructure and economic development, financing projects from the Metro Manila Subway to regional railways.
The renewed debate centers on whether Japan’s current trajectory signals a revival of militarism.
“Tokyo’s adoption of new national security strategies, the push for collective self-defense, and the acquisition of long-range ‘counterstrike’ capabilities represent a historic shift,” Paglinawan said. Japan’s defense budget, set to reach two percent of GDP by 2027, ranks it among the world’s largest military spenders.
These developments have drawn concern across East Asia, he said.
“For Manila, historical memory cannot be ignored,” Paglinawan warned. “The challenge is navigating between a traumatic past and present alliances. Cooperation with Japan strengthens deterrence, but deeper involvement in regional power rivalries risks entangling the Philippines in conflicts beyond its control.” As Japan recalibrates its role in the Indo-Pacific, Paglinawan pointed out that the Philippines “faces a strategic dilemma: it must balance security partnerships with the need for an independent foreign policy, avoiding over-reliance on any single power amid growing regional dissonance.”
date:2026-02-07 16:06:00