On Monday, Japan announced that three vessels of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) are scheduled to visit Cambodia from February 13 to 16. Though the visit may be routine, it also highlights the nascent defense relationship that exists between the two countries (See: “ Why Are Japan’s Warships Visiting Cambodia? “).
While foreign media outlets typically focus on Cambodia’s alignments with China and the United States, other actors, including Japan, also play an important role in Phnom Penh’s foreign relations. Superficial analyses tend to focus on Tokyo’s role as being primarily economic, noting the aid and investment it pours into the country. To the extent that a security aspect is discussed, it is with respect to areas like peacebuilding and reconstruction following the Cold War.
Though these dimensions of Cambodia-Japan relations are no doubt important, it is also true that bilateral ties have also been expanding much more on the security side over the past few years than they had been previously. Indeed, in December 2013 when the two countries upgraded ties to a strategic partnership as they commemorated 60 years of diplomatic relations, one area of emphasis within that strategic partnership was the defense domain. This included the signing of an agreement on defense cooperation and exchanges between both sides, even though the exact specifics were not disclosed.
