Defense experts predict Philippines will join future Yama Sakura military drills

The Philippines will soon become a full participant in annual Yama Sakura warfighting drills involving U.S., Japanese and Australian ground forces, according to defense experts.

The Philippine navy, on Thursday, posted photos on social media of Filipino marines in Japan observing the weeklong exercise, which kicked off Dec. 6. The drills involve 1,500 U.S. personnel, 5,000 Japanese troops and 300 Australian soldiers doing a range of training, including simulated missile strikes, from locations across Japan, Alaska, Hawaii and Australia, according to a Dec. 5 Army news release.

It’s the first time U.S. Marines have joined the command post exercise and the second year Australians have participated, the release said. Philippine marines or soldiers will likely join Yama Sakura as full participants next year or in 2026, according to retired Marine Col. Grant Newsham, a senior researcher with the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies in Tokyo. “Philippine military leaders have been visiting Japan over the last few years and the overall Japan-Philippine defense relationship has been developing steadily, he said by email Thursday. The U.S. will welcome the cooperation, which shows four governments committed to mutual defense, Newsham said.

Philippine marines visited Camp Asaka, Japan, Dec. 7-8, 2024, to observe the annual Yama Sakura exercise. (Philippine Marine Corps) The Philippines and Japan signed a reciprocal access agreement in July. Australia, which signed a similar agreement in 2022, joined Yama Sakura for the first time last year.

Such agreements facilitate the movement of forces and equipment into signatory countries for training. The agreement between the Philippines and Japan will promote joint exercises and disaster relief, said Carlyle Thayer, an emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales and a lecturer at the Australian Defence Force Academy.

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