Philippines and Japan launch first air drills under new defense pact

The Philippines and Japan began a six-day joint humanitarian and disaster relief exercise on Sunday, marking their first military drills under a new defense logistics pact. The exercise runs from Oct. 4 to Oct. 9. The "Doshin-Bayanihan 6-26" exercise is the sixth air-to-air drill between the two nations and the first since the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (Acsa) took effect in August. Under the pact, the Philippine Air Force will supply fuel to a Japanese KC-130H aircraft, a move Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi called a significant step in bilateral defense cooperation. The exercise will take place at bases in Cebu, Leyte, and Palawan, which faces the West Philippine Sea. It involves airdrop, load/offload training, night vision takeoffs, and mass casualty drills. The Acsa, signed in January, follows a Reciprocal Access Agreement that took effect in September last year, as both US allies strengthen security ties amid China's maritime assertiveness.