Analysts ask Manila to lure Japanese investors to local defense sector

THE PHILIPPINES should lure Japanese investors to its defense industry after the Japanese Parliament’s ratification of a reciprocal access agreement (RAA) between Manila and Tokyo, political analysts said.

- By Adrian H. Halili Reporter

“They must be viewed as potential investors in the defense industrial sector, which the Self-Reliant Defense Posture law aims to establish,” Michael Henry Ll. Yusingco, a senior research fellow at the Ateneo Policy Center, said in a Facebook Messenger chat. “The RAA with Japan only bolsters the chances of achieving this goal.”

He said the access deal, which lays down the rules for visiting soldiers from both nations during war games, should add urgency for the Marcos government to boost its defense industry.

Republic Act No. 12024 or the Self-Reliant Defense Posture Revitalization Act seeks to boost local production of defense equipment and will let the Philippines develop technologies to counter threats.

Mr. Yusingco said the government should work on the institutional foundation of the country’s self-reliant defense industry.

“So far, it appears it is not doing enough towards this end.”

Last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Japan’s Diet had approved the RAA.

Manila and Tokyo signed the military pact in July 2024, allowing for the entry of equipment and troops for military drills and disaster response on each other’s soil. The Philippine Senate in December ratified the deal.