MANILA, Philippines — Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi will embark on a two-day visit to the Philippines next week to discuss defense cooperation and regional security matters with his counterpart, Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced Friday, January 10.
The high-level meeting comes as both countries prepare to implement their newly ratified Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) – a defense pact that allows Philippine and Japanese military forces to train in each other's territories. The Philippine Senate approved the agreement on December 16, expanding military cooperation between Manila and Tokyo.
During their bilateral meeting scheduled for January 14 to 15, Manalo and Iwaya will discuss political, defense, security, economic, and development cooperation. The two top diplomats will also exchange views on regional and international developments.
"Amidst an increasingly complex security environment, they are expected to reaffirm the mutual commitment to further enhancing the ‘Strengthened Strategic Partnership’ between the two countries and to seize new opportunities for cooperation," the DFA said in its statement.
The Philippines, Japan and the United States last month held their first trilateral maritime talks in Tokyo where officials say they had “open and dynamic discussions on strategic perspectives on regional maritime issues."
Japan also deepened its military ties with Manila last month after granting 1.6 billion yen (P611 million) to enhance the Philippines' naval capabilities through its Official Security Assistance program.
The RAA, which now awaits formal implementation following Senate ratification, will enable the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Japan's Self-Defense Forces to conduct more extensive military exercises together amid China's growing assertiveness in the region.
Manila and Tokyo's growing defense cooperations come as both nations face direct challenges from Beijing. Japan contests China's claims over the Senkaku islands in the East China Sea, while the Philippines is faced with repeated Chinese harassment of its vessels in the West Philippine Sea – part of the contested South China Sea that overlaps with the Philippines' 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone.