"The United States' defense commitments to Japan and to the Philippines are ironclad," Biden said as he met Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
The summit at the White House comes amid repeated confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the disputed waterway that have raised fears of wider conflict.
"Any attack on Philippine aircraft, vessels or armed forces in the South China Sea would invoke our mutual defense treaty," added Biden.
An increasingly assertive China claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, brushing aside competing claims from several Southeast Asian nations including the Philippines.
The tensions, combined with saber rattling over China's claims to the self-governing island of Taiwan, have prompted Biden to boost alliances in the region.
As they met around a horseshoe-shaped wooden table in the grand East Room of the US presidential residence, the US, Japanese and Philippine leaders hailed the meeting as "historic."
Without mentioning China by name, they painted their alliance as a bedrock of peace and democracy in the Asia-Pacific region in contrast to authoritarian Beijing.
Marcos, seen as closer to Washington than his more China-leaning predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, said they shared an "unwavering commitment to the rules-based international order."
Kishida said that "multi-layered cooperation is essential" and that "today's meeting will make history."
Biden, 81, also held separate talks with Marcos, 66, the son and namesake of the country's former dictator.
- 'Self-doubt' -
The joint summit came a day after Biden hosted a lavish state visit for Japan's Kishida during which he unveiled a historic upgrade in defense ties aimed at countering a resurgent China.
Kishida gave a joint address to Congress earlier Thursday in which he urged Americans to overcome "self-doubt" about their role as a global power.
This time directly warning of risks from the rise of China, Kishida said that Japan -- stripped of its right to a military after World War II -- was determined to do more to share responsibility with its ally the United States.
The United States, Japan and the Philippines are expected to announce new joint naval exercises along with Australia, similar to drills they had in the region at the weekend, officials said.
They are also set to unveil new economic cooperation measures.
China hit back, saying the United States and Japan had "smeared" its reputation during Kishida's state visit.
Beijing foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Washington and Tokyo had "attacked China on Taiwan and maritime issues, grossly interfered in China's internal affairs, and seriously violated the basic norms governing international relations."
The United States has a mutual defense pact with Manila but there are fears it could be put to the test, with tensions becoming particularly acute around the Second Thomas Shoal, a remote reef in the Spratly Islands.
Japan and the Philippines are the latest Asia-Pacific allies to be hosted by Biden, who was joined by Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at Camp David in August.
But Biden has also moved to manage tensions with China, holding a two-hour phone call with President Xi Jinping last week following a face-to-face meeting in San Francisco in November.
On Wednesday Biden said the major upgrade in defense ties with Japan was "purely defensive" and "not aimed at any one nation or a threat to the region."
US-Japan defense 'new era': key things to know
Washington (AFP) April 11, 2024 -
The United States and Japan on Wednesday agreed to boost defense ties in what President Joe Biden called "the most significant upgrade in our alliance since it was first established."
Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida released a joint statement covering collaboration in spheres from space to semiconductors, but the crux of the document was defense.
The "new era of US-Japan cooperation" is aimed at better countering an assertive China, the two leaders said, and comes as long-pacifist Japan hikes defense spending, acquires counter-strike capabilities and brings all its forces under one command.
What have the countries agreed?
There are around 54,000 US military personnel in Japan but currently they report to Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, around 6,500 kilometers (4,000 miles) away and 19 hours behind.
The joint statement issued at the White House said the two sides want to "bilaterally upgrade our respective command and control frameworks to enable seamless integration of operations and capabilities."
Details will be hammered out, but the new framework will "allow for greater interoperability and planning between US and Japanese forces in peacetime and during contingencies."
Where will they deepen cooperation?
The pair also said they would create a new forum between their defense ministries for discussing policies to "better integrate and align our defense industrial policy, acquisition, and science and technology ecosystems."
That would involve "co-development and co-production of missiles" and maintenance of US military ships and aircraft at Japanese commercial facilities, they said.
The nations plan to boost cooperation in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance as well as cybersecurity.
They will also explore creating a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief hub in Japan, the statement said, without giving further details.
The statement also touted several existing initiatives, including a deal for Japan to buy long-range Tomahawk missiles from the United States and US plans to relocate an air base in the southern region of Okinawa.
Are other countries involved?
Other countries in the region are also alarmed by Chinese activities. On Thursday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Kishida and Biden will hold their first trilateral summit.
The US-Japan statement also set out a "vision to cooperate on a networked air defense architecture among the United States, Japan and Australia to counter growing air and missile threats."
The AUKUS security partnership -- the United States, Australia and Britain -- is "considering" cooperating with Japan on advanced defense technology, the two nations said, echoing a previous AUKUS statement.
Britain announced it will take part in regular joint military exercises with Washington and Tokyo starting in 2025, which Wednesday's statement welcomed.
Japan joined the United States, Australia and the Philippines for military drills in the South China Sea at the weekend that riled Beijing.
How important are the new announcements?
James Brady of the Teneo risk consultancy told AFP that while the "guiding principle clearly remains that of deterrence," the agreements should help the pair respond to regional security threats.
"In operational terms, harmonized changes to the command and control frameworks should make the two sides' militaries more prepared than ever to deal with a future contingency in the region -- be that with China or North Korea," he said.
"It would not be an exaggeration to say that this visit marks the all-time high-water mark of US-Japan relations," Brady added.
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