Japan, Philippines to fast-track transfer of navy destroyers

The two countries’ shared grievances over Chinese territorial claims have seen them draw increasingly close in recent years2-MIN READ2-MIN0ListenPublished: 9:38pm, 5 May 2026Japan’s defence minister pledged to deepen military cooperation with the Philippines during a visit Tuesday to Manila, aiming for the “early transfer” of Abukuma-class destroyers to the archipelago nation.The two countries’ shared grievances over Chinese territorial claims have seen them draw increasingly close in recent years, including the signing of a reciprocal access agreement allowing for the deployment of troops on each other’s territory.Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi’s visit came as a contingent of 1,400 Japanese personnel was taking part for the first time in annual US-Philippine military exercises, and just weeks after Tokyo eased decades-old arms export rules in a major policy shift. Japan’s new arms export rules trigger Chinese warning against ‘moves towards militarism’Japan’s new arms export rules trigger Chinese warning against ‘moves towards militarism’Speaking alongside Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro, Koizumi – who signed a defence pact with Indonesia a day earlier – said that the two countries would create a working group focused on defence equipment.