Asia Defense | Security | Southeast Asia

Japan, Philippines to Begin Negotiations on Intelligence Sharing Agreement

A General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) is expected to be high on the agenda when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visits Japan later this week.

Japan’s Defense Minister Kihara Minoru (left) attends the signing ceremony of the Japan-Philippines Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) along with (from left) Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, and Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo in Manila, Philippines, Jul. 8, 2024.

Japan and the Philippines are set to begin formal negotiations to conclude an information security agreement that would allow the exchange of classified security data, marking another step forward for bilateral security cooperation.

Nikkei Asia reported on Friday that the two sides will “agree to launch formal negotiations” on a General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) when Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visits Japan this week.

Marcos is set to begin his four-day state visit tomorrow, becoming the first Philippine president to visit Japan in more than a decade. He will meet with Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae on Thursday for talks that are widely expected to focus on security cooperation and shared concerns about China’s growing maritime clout.

As Nikkei reported, the GSOMIA would create a legal framework for the secure exchange of sensitive military intelligence, and would also facilitate closer cooperation between the Philippines and the United States, which has a similar agreement with Japan. Manila and Tokyo are also set to upgrade their current strategic partnership to a comprehensive strategic partnership and “affirm their cooperation in a range of fields including security,” the news outlet stated.

In addition to the U.S., Japan has already signed similar intelligence sharing agreements with nations including the United Kingdom, India, and South Korea, among other nations, but the GSOMIA would be its first such agreement with a Southeast Asian country. The Philippines also signed an intelligence sharing pact with the U.S. in November 2024.

The establishment of a similar pact between Manila and Tokyo would strengthen the trilateral relationship between the three countries and allow for the creation of a trilateral framework similar to the one between the U.S., Japan, and South Korea. It would also likely permit the Philippines to access more advanced military equipment from both nations.

Over the past decade, the Philippines and Japan have seen a steady convergence of strategic and security interests, driven by shared concerns about China’s growing military assertiveness, particularly in the East and South China Seas.

During a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu in Manila in January, Foreign Secretary Maria........

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