Philippines reaffirms partnership with Japan

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and Japan – at a recent meeting in Tokyo between their defense chiefs – have reaffirmed their strategic partnership aimed at advancing their shared interest in promoting peace, security and growth in the region.

High on the agenda of the meeting between Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and his Japanese counterpart Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya last Wednesday was the implementation of the 2015 Memorandum on Defense Cooperation and Exchanges.

“Both sides welcomed increasing cooperation at all levels across major services and agreed to deepen exchanges of humanitarian assistance and disaster response between ground forces, ship repair and maintenance between maritime forces, and professional airmanship between the two air forces,” defense spokesman Arsenio Andolong said.

The two defense chiefs, Andolong said, also discussed enhancing cooperation in capacity building and in defense industry and logistics.

Lorenzana, according to Andolong, personally relayed to Iwaya the Philippine government’s appreciation for the Japan Self-Defense Force’s turning over five TC-90 maritime trainer surveillance planes and UH-1H helicopter spare parts and maintenance equipment to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The Philippine Navy is currently using the TC-90 planes for patrolling the West Philippine Sea.

The two officials also cited the importance of pursuing practical cooperation through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM)-Plus framework.

The ADDM-Plus is the highest defense consultative cooperative mechanism between ASEAN member-states and eight dialogue partners.

Andolong said Lorenzana also told Iwaya that he is looking forward to the hosting of the 6th Philippines-Japan Vice Ministers’ Defense Dialogue this year in Manila.

Japan, like the Philippines, is embroiled in a maritime dispute with China.

Japan’s Senkaku Island group in the East China Sea is also being claimed by China.