Philippines, Japan eye reciprocal access agreement

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and Japan are expected to begin negotiations in November for a “reciprocal access agreement” aimed at facilitating a visiting forces arrangement.

In a Kyodo News report quoting sources, President Marcos and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are set to meet in early November for a summit in Manila to discuss possible forging of RAA as well as strengthening of security cooperation.

RAAs are intended to facilitate transfers of defense personnel between countries for training and disaster relief operations while relaxing restrictions on the transport of weapons and supplies.

An RAA with the Philippines would be Japan’s first with a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the third after a similar agreement with Australia and Britain took effect earlier this year.

Earlier, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. disclosed that negotiations with Japan and other foreign governments for RAA are ongoing.

He said a Philippines-Japan RAA would allow the countries to deploy troops to each other’s territory for training and other operations.

“So that is why we want Japan to join us, and because Japan is also an archipelagic country with the same situation. And that is the basis of our RAA,” he said. “We would try to get the best synergies as possible, not only bilaterally but also inter-operability with other countries that we have RAA and just as long as it is for the best interest of the Philippines, then I would agree.”

Teodoro said the Philippines is also negotiating for an RAA with Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

He likened the RAA to the Visiting Forces Agreement and Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the United States. The Philippines has its own VFA with Australia.

“The RAA is like a VFA also. So whatever permutations it will take, we will see what happens,” the defense chief said.

“The important thing is for the public to remember that we are here together with Japan and other countries for one thing. That is, to preserve a rules-based international order and to preserve freedom of navigation, and to respect the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone of the Republic of the Philippines,” Teodoro said.

“Let us remember that the fight of the Philippines in protecting its sovereignty, its territorial integrity and sovereign rights is a fact of world recognition of these rights. Because it is for the world to tell China and other people who want to intrude into other territories to keep to yourselves – there is enough for everyone,” he added.

The Philippines and Japan have already signed a memorandum to simplify procedures for assigning defense personnel to each other’s country for disaster relief and humanitarian assistance.