“Joint training” of Japanese forces in the Philippines have commenced, despite the fact that the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) between Japan and the Philippines has yet to be ratified. The Doshin-Bayanihan 2024 exercise, a military operation disguised as a joint training for “humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR)”, started on October 2 and will last until October 7 in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.

Under the pretext of HADR training, Japanese and Filipino forces will conduct jet fighter flights for airdrop operations, transporting and unloading equipment, personnel evacuation, and more. The exercise involves 30 personnel from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and 150 personnel from the Philippine Air Force.

Doshin-Doshin-Bayanihan marks the first occasion since World War II that Japanese soldiers will be deployed and operate on Philippine soil since their brutal occupation of the country during World War II. This deployment is facilitated by the RAA, which was signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in June. However, the agreement still requires ratification by the Philippine Senate before it can be formally enacted as a treaty.

Despite this, there have been Japanese forces in war games launched by the US in the territorial waters of the Phillippines. On September 28, they took part in a multilateral maritime cooperative activity (MMCA), where their warships operated alongside those from Australia, the US, and the Philippines within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. This MMCA, similar to prior activities, is part of the US strategy aimed at restricting the operational flexibility of its rival, imperialist China.