At least 1,000 Japanese combat troops will return to the Philippines for the first time in 81 years, marking a significant shift in the Indo-Pacific defence strategy.

At least 1,000 Japanese armed combat troops will set foot on Philippine soil next month for the first time in 81 years since World War II. Their return, as part of the joint Philippine-US Balikatan military training drills, also signals a dramatic shift in the development of the Indo-Pacific security architecture from a “hub-and-spoke” strategy to one of multiple, overlapping minilaterals, with the region seen as one undivided theatre, experts say. Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief-of-Staff....