Japan offers Indonesia and the Philippines lethal muscle to counter China

AI Summary

Japan is strengthening its defense ties with Southeast Asian nations like Indonesia and the Philippines by signing a defense cooperation pact aimed at countering Chinese maritime ambitions in the region. This geopolitical move follows Japan's decision to lift restrictions on lethal arms exports.

Japan’s defence minister is touring Southeast Asia this week with what analysts describe as a clear, if diplomatically understated, mission: turning Indonesia and the Philippines into harder targets for Chinese maritime ambition. Shinjiro Koizumi landed in Jakarta on Monday to sign a defence cooperation pact with his Indonesian counterpart Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, coming hot on the heels of Tokyo’s landmark decision to lift a decades-old ban on the export of lethal weapons last month. He heads next...