Japan, Philippines agree to reinforce ties between defense forces
SINGAPORE (Kyodo) -- The Japanese and Philippine defense ministers agreed in Singapore on Sunday to step up collaboration between their forces in the face of China's maritime assertiveness in the East and South China seas.
Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro, meeting on the sidelines of an annual Asia security forum, also agreed to promote cooperation on arms exports and maintain close communication between the countries' defense authorities.
Hailing progress in bilateral cooperation, Teodoro said at the outset of the talks that Japan is a cornerstone for maintaining order in the region.
The talks took place after the two agreed in Manila in February to launch a strategic dialogue to intensify unit-to-unit cooperation and set up a high-level framework to promote further defense equipment and technology cooperation.
Security ties between Japan and the Philippines, both key U.S. allies, have deepened in recent years, with tensions high in the South China Sea, where Manila and Beijing are locked in territorial disputes.
Chinese vessels have clashed with Philippine ships near disputed shoals in the South China Sea and repeatedly entered waters around the uninhabited Senkaku Islands controlled by Japan in the East China Sea.
Tokyo supplied the Philippines with an air surveillance radar system in 2023, the first finished defense product exported by Japan since the easing of its long-held arms trade ban in 2014.
Japan has also decided to provide coastal radar systems to the Southeast Asian nation under a new security assistance program launched in 2023 to support the militaries of like-minded countries.
Nakatani also met with Australia Defense Minister Richard Marles on Sunday, with the two affirming the importance of their bilateral cooperation.
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