Good to have friends

Seventy-two years ago, you would not see a Filipino shaking hands with a Japanese. War had broken out in Asia, with Japan as the aggressor. War eventually ended in 1945, with Japan paying the cost of defeat. And as nations rose from the ashes of war, and tried to rebuild, Japan has risen to be one of the richest and most progressive nations on the planet. It has made friends with many nations in the region, even providing aid to many it once sought to conquer. Friendships forged in fire. Father time has done well in healing the bitter wounds of the past.

Today, you see President Aquino shaking hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Today, both the Philippines and Japan are partners in almost everything – from trade to tourism, and now, in defense. Both countries have vowed to strengthen maritime cooperation, recognizing the importance of a free and stable region. By providing the Coast Guard with ten patrol boats through a loan arrangement, it has fulfilled its commitment to the Philippines. The patrol boats will be a big boost in safeguarding our waters, which we have quite a lot of. I can just imagine how modern these boats will be, and how they will boost the Coast Guard’s capabilities.

Japan itself has territorial issues with China, seen today as the world’s bully. A group of islands is the subject of a territorial dispute between the two countries. But unlike the bullying that we get from China, they cannot do the same for Japan as it has the military capability to go with them toe-to-toe. This speaks volumes about China, doesn’t it? Japan has seen the expansionism of China, and is wary of it. In fact, so are many other countries in the world, a fact China refuses to acknowledge or address. Perhaps Japan has learned from the bitter lessons of the past, when they themselves foresaw a bigger, greater Japan. A mistake they paid dearly for.

It is comforting that we have such a partner in assuring peace and stability in the region. Japan is one of the biggest traders with the country, and has a major hand in cooperative projects, particularly in Mindanao, which was also extensively discussed in their meeting. Japan has indeed contributed much to the progress of the country. The stability and security of the world’s waterways is in everyone’s mind. Only China sees otherwise. While the world sees cooperation, China sees domination. In today’s world, that just isn’t right.

It is good to have friends.