Marcos (left) shaking hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during their meeting at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo. - AFP
THE leaders of Japan and the Philippines have agreed to sharply boost their defence ties, allowing Japanese troops greater access to Philippine territory.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is visiting Japan after he and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin reached an agreement on allowing the United States more access to Philippine military bases to keep China’s territorial ambitions in check.
The defence arrangement signed by Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday will allow Japanese troops to join training exercises in the Philippines.
The agreement is seen as a step toward broader military cooperation and could lead to similar agreements between Japan and other South-East Asian nations.
Kishida said the two countries would continue talks to further strengthen and streamline their militaries’ joint exercises and other operations, while seeking to expand the transfer of Japanese defence equipment and technology to the Philippines and boost cooperation trilaterally with the United States.
“After our meeting, I can confidently say that our strategic partnership is stronger than ever as we navigate together the rough waters buffeting our region,” Marcos said at a joint conference with Kishida.
“The future of our relationship remains full of promise as we continue to deepen and expand our engagements across a wide range of mutually beneficial cooperation.”
The new defence agreement allows Japan to deploy its forces for humanitarian missions and disaster response in the Philippines, an arrangement Japan hopes to eventually upgrade to include joint military training, cooperation and mutual visits, Japanese officials said.
The two leaders “resolved” to increase the defence capabilities of their own countries and strengthen overall security cooperation with reciprocal port calls and aircraft visits and the transfer of more defence equipment and technology.
It said Japan would transfer air surveillance radar systems to the Philippines and provide related personnel training.
They also agreed to strengthen cyber and economic security.
The two leaders also confirmed Japan’s continuing assistance to the Philippine coast guard in reinforcing its capabilities, including the improvement of port facilities at Subic Bay, a former US naval base.
Last year, the two island nations held their first four-way security talks among their defence and foreign ministers and agreed to strengthen their defence ties. — AP
