Japan and the Philippines have signed a defense pact allowing the deployment of troops on each other’s soil amid shared concerns over China’s growing military power. Under the agreement, Japanese forces will be able to deploy in the Philippines for joint military exercises and Filipino forces will be able to carry out combat training in Japan. The pact will need to be ratified by both countries’ legislatures to come into effect. The agreement comes as Japan and the Philippines, both long-standing allies of the United States, are wary of China’s growing assertiveness in the region. Beijing has laid claim to more than 90 percent of the South China Sea, including waters that lie within the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines and four other Southeast Asian countries.

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