The Philippines and Japan have signed a reciprocal access agreement (RAA) allowing them to deploy their forces on each other's soil, a milestone in their security relations amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific, an official said on Monday (8 July).

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Philippine defence minister Gilberto Teodoro and Japanese foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa signed the deal in a ceremony in Manila witnessed by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, presidential communications secretary Cheloy Garafil said in a message.

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The deal, the first of its kind to be signed by Japan in Asia, would take effect after ratification by both countries’ legislatures, officials said.

A Japanese military presence in the Philippines could help Manila counter Chinese influence in the South China Sea, where Beijing’s expansive maritime claims conflict with those of a number of Southeast Asia nations.

An international tribunal in 2016 said China’s claims had no legal basis, a ruling that Beijing rejects.