A Look into the Future of the South China Sea Archives

Japan–Philippines Security Ties Deepens as Manila Seeks More TC-90 Patrol Aircraft and Retired Abukuma Destroyers

indopacificreport2 weeks ago2 weeks ago026 mins

The Japan–Philippines security axis is accelerating faster than any other defense partnership in the Indo-Pacific, and the latest development marks another leap forward. On November 26, 2025, Philippine Navy Chief Vice Adm. Jose Ma. Ambrosio Ezpeleta confirmed that Manila is now seeking five additional retired TC-90 maritime patrol aircraft from Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force, a…

Should Taiwan Expose Beijing’s Airspace and EEZ Violations — Like the Philippines Does in the South China Sea?

indopacificreport2 weeks ago2 weeks ago024 mins

Taiwan now stands at a decisive moment as Chinese pressure reaches historic highs across its skies and seas, raising a fundamental question with enormous strategic consequences: should Taipei expose Beijing’s airspace and EEZ violations the way the Philippines exposes coercion in the South China Sea? Chinese military activity has surged at a scale the world…

Can Japan and the Philippines Really Deter China?

indopacificreport2 weeks ago025 mins

For the first time in modern Asian geopolitics, Japan and the Philippines, two U.S. allies with very different histories and defense traditions, have entered a legally binding military pact that allows their troops, ships, and aircraft to operate on each other’s soil. It is a dramatic evolution, something almost unthinkable a decade ago, yet it…

Why the U.S. Wants Taiwan to Fund Philippines EDCA Military Bases?

indopacificreport3 weeks ago030 mins

Have you ever wondered who really shapes the future of the Indo-Pacific? Is it armies? Is it alliances? Or is it the quiet deals happening behind the scenes — the ones that never make the front page? Well, here’s a question that would have sounded impossible just a few years ago: Why would Taiwan —…

Philippines Needs Submarines Now More Than Ever to Deter China

indopacificreport4 weeks ago4 weeks ago041 mins

The Philippines stands at the center of one of the world’s most contested maritime regions, yet it remains the only frontline state in the South China Sea without a single submarine. This absence is not a minor gap, it is a defining weakness in a moment when the country faces unprecedented pressure from an increasingly…

USFK’s “East-Up” Map Reveals New Strategic Triangle Linking Korea–Japan–Philippines

indopacificreport4 weeks ago032 mins

What if everything we thought we knew about Indo-Pacific strategy changes with a simple twist of a map? That’s the provocative idea behind U.S. Forces Korea’s adoption of the “east-up” map, a flipped geographic perspective that suddenly places South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines along a striking strategic axis. And according to the USFK Commander,…

Can South Korea, Japan, and Philippines Deter a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan?

indopacificreport4 weeks ago026 mins

What if China tried to cut off Taiwan’s sea lanes tomorrow—or even launched a full-scale invasion? Could Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines realistically stop Beijing, or would they be dragged into a high-stakes showdown with global consequences? The Taiwan Strait has become a powder keg: China is rapidly modernizing its navy, missile forces, and…

$35B War Machine: How the Philippines is Reshaping Its Military!

indopacificreport9 months ago024 mins

In early 1942, on the rugged slopes of the Bataan peninsula, Filipino and American soldiers waged a desperate, months-long battle against a relentless Japanese onslaught. Amid shortages and overwhelming odds, these defenders held their ground with gritty determination, carving out a legacy of valor even as the battle took its devastating toll. Their stand at…

A Look into the Future of the South China Sea

Pacific Report Staff10 months ago10 months ago021 mins

The old fisherman cast his net into the waters at dawn, just as his ancestors had done for generations. But today, he wasn’t alone. A massive gray-hulled vessel loomed in the distance, its flag fluttering in the wind, warning him that these waters—waters his family had fished for centuries—were now “disputed territory.” Nearby, sleek warships…