An expert from a Japanese think tank has stressed the need for a trilateral defense mechanism among Japan, the Philippines and the US amid China's continuous aggression in the South China Sea, particularly in the West Philippine Sea. Miyake Kunihiko, director of Japan-based think tank The Canon Institute for Global Studies' Research, said there is a need for a multi-layer security and maritime policing mechanism involving the three countries. In a forum organized by Stratbase ADR Institute on Friday, Miyake said such cooperation is "a natural process," given the changing security environment in the Indo-Pacific Region. A multilateral military cooperation with Australia is also ideal to maintain the status quo, he added. "It's another natural process because the sea is wide and big, and ships are limited, so it's pretty natural that instead of one country doing the whole thing, more countries work together to cover as much area as possible," he said. "I think it's in the pipeline, we have to do this in order to maintain the status quo and prevent them from being changed by force. I think it’s a matter of time," he added. Doing such cooperation should not worry China unless it has "a bad intention" in the South China Sea, Kunihiko said in an interview after the forum. What the three—or maybe four—countries would do is only to show that they can do military cooperation in the waters, including joint patrol, while also encouraging Beijing in a dialogue. "It is not a means to coerce foreign countries. It is a means to send the right message to those who wish to change the status quo by force and not in compliance with the international law. Then they will think twice. What we are doing is natural maritime policing operations. Unless you have a bad intention, you don't have to worry," he added. Meanwhile, political analyst and Stratbase President Dindo Manhit said that the Philippines must strengthen its alliances with states that have vowed to protect the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific. He cited Japan and the US as examples as both have consistently supported the Philippines in its 2016 arbitral victory in the West Philippine Sea. "To effectively respond to security challenges in the maritime domain, working with friends and allies through joint maritime patrols will enforce our national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Filipinos strongly support this, with 80 percent believing that the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard should be prioritized and strengthened. This further validates the strategic importance of alliances and partnerships in safeguarding the West Philippine Sea," Manhit said.