This an agreement between Japan and the Philippines. I don't think there is any requirement for them to have US State Department involved in it.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the agreement he signed with Japanese ambassador to Manila,

and

Gazmin said in remarks during the signing ceremony at the Department of Defense in metropolitan Manila.

For other countries? it depends upon how their government is structured.

There will come a point where either US is unable to defend them, or where US interests conflict with Japanese interests. China is building up its military and becoming more and more of a major power player. What should Japan do? Sit back and hope everything works out for them?

I find it interesting that China purchased and refit a full-size carrier and is developing jets that can launch off it, yet there isn't much talk about how China is wrong for doing that. Whereas Japan somewhat recently launched a helicopter carrier and there was a lot of talk about how they are looking to provoke China with their war like aggressiveness. I don't fully understand why there is such a difference between the two.


China, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, North Korea, Iran. etc... all have every right to a military that is capable of defending itself. Obviously it would be wonderful if we were able to get past all that, but I don't foresee that happening any time soon.