Kuala Lampur, Dec. 31 -- The entry into force of the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) between Japan and the Philippines in September 2025 has been greeted with a mixture of enthusiasm, anxiety, and strategic over-interpretation.

That Japanese armed forces are back in the Philippines for the first time in 1945.

But Japanese Official Security Assistance (OSA) - while extended to the Philippines - is also given to the likes of Malaysia, Bangladesh and Fiji.

These are countries with no interest in militarization of the Straits of Malacca, South China Sea, Bay of Bengal or the Pacific sea respectively.

Headlines have framed it as a major deterrent against China, while some analysts have portrayed it as another step toward bloc formation i...