Japan Expands Security Role Across Southeast Asia — SkimNews
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- Japan was seen in Southeast Asia chiefly as an economic partner, development donor and source of investment for decades after World War II.
- ASEAN relations with Japan initially centered on economics, development and investment, leaving security only a minor role.
- Japan is now a significant security partner for many Southeast Asian states, with the Philippines especially prominent.
- Manila has drawn closer to Tokyo; those ties are not aimed at containing Beijing.
Why it matters: For ASEAN states, the material change is that Japan now engages on security as well as its three earlier roles as economic partner, development donor and investment source; Manila’s closer ties are one example of a regional shift, not a project aimed at containing Beijing.
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