Latest news with #ReciprocalAccessAgreement
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Japan-Philippines military drills to become a reality after Tokyo ratifies defence pact
Japan has ratified its reciprocal access agreement (RAA) with the Philippines six months after Manila did, with the long-awaited move seen as a signal that Manila has proved its value as a strategic and defence partner to Tokyo. Advertisement The ratification by the Diet follows Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba 's recent visit to the Philippines, with analysts previously observing that the trip suggested his administration was poised to finalise the agreement. The RAA allows the deployment of Filipino and Japanese forces on each other's soil for joint military exercises, including live-fire drills, amid mutual geopolitical tensions with China. The Diet approved the agreement on Friday, half a year after the Philippine Senate. The pact was signed by Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa in a ceremony in Manila in July 2024, which was attended by President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr 'We welcome today's approval of the Reciprocal Access Agreement between the Philippines and Japan by the House of Councillors, which completes the approval process in the Japanese Diet,' Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene Garcia-Albano said in a statement on Friday. Advertisement The RAA is expected to improve military collaboration between the two nations by simplifying the deployment processes for joint training and disaster relief missions.
GMA Network
2 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Japan diet OKs defense pact with PH —envoy
Japan's Diet on Friday ratified a key defense pact allowing the deployment of Japanese forces for joint drills with Filipino troops in the Philippines, Manila's top envoy to Tokyo said. "We welcome today's approval of the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) between the Philippines and Japan by the House of Councillors, which completes the approval process in the Japanese Diet," Philippine Ambassador Mylene Garcia-Albano said in a statement sent to GMA News Online. The RAA, which similarly allows Filipino soldiers to enter Japan for joint combat drills, was approved by the Philippine Senate on December 2024 Garcia-Albano said the RAA is "a testament to the trust and enduring friendship between the Philippines and Japan." "It will enhance our ability to work closely together in promoting a rules-based order governed by international law," she said. Japan and the Philippines are establishing closer security ties in reaction to China's aggressive territorial assertions. China and Japan are also locked in a long-running territorial dispute over the Senkaku islands, which the Chinese call Diaoyu, in the East Sea. A vital trading and shipping lane, the South China Sea, dotted with rocks, shoals, and reefs where rich oil and mineral deposits were found, are claimed in part or in whole by the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan. Manila largely won a landmark case against China's massive claim in the South China Sea before an arbitration tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, but Beijing does not recognize the ruling. Similar to Manila's Visiting Forces Agreement with its treaty ally, the United States, the RAA defense pact with the Philippines is the first to be signed by Japan in Asia. Japan signed similar agreements with Australia and the United Kingdom. "We thank the Government and people of Japan for their steadfast support and continued collaboration," Garcia-Albano said. "We look forward to the full implementation of this agreement and to building an even more resilient and forward-looking partnership in the years ahead." —AOL, GMA Integrated News
Asahi Shimbun
30-04-2025
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
Japan and the Philippines push security and economic ties on Ishiba's visit
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, left, and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. shake hands before the start of a bilateral meeting at Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines on April 29. (Rolex Dela Pena/Pool Photo via AP) MANILA--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba held talks on Tuesday with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, in a move to advance security and economic ties between two of Washington's closest Asian allies amid rising Indo-Pacific tensions. Ishiba's visit to the Philippines comes at a crucial time, with both countries confronting growing concerns over regional security and China's assertiveness in the South China Sea, while navigating global trade tensions sparked by sweeping U.S. tariffs and increased friction between the United States and China. Ishiba said he discussed with Marcos the far-reaching impact of U.S.-China trade tensions on the global economy and multilateral free trade frameworks. He assured Marcos he would heed the concerns of Japanese companies operating in the Philippines to find solutions. The two leaders also explored ways to further defence and economic ties, with talks centred on Japan's official security assistance programme, of which the Philippines was among the first beneficiaries. Ishibal said Japan and the Philippines had started talks on a potential information security agreement, which would enable exchanges of confidential information and boost security cooperation. Last year, Japan and the Philippines signed the Reciprocal Access Agreement, the first of its kind Japan has signed in Asia, that would allow deployment of forces on each other's soil. While the Philippines has ratified the pact, it still awaits legislative approval in Japan. Once in place, it will ease the entry of equipment and troops for combat training and disaster response and smooth cooperation between their militaries. COUNTERING CHINA Ishiba and Marcos also commitment to promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific and upholding a rules-based international order. "I hope that our two nations will continue to closely communicate with each other to oppose attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas by force or coercion," Ishiba said at a joint press conference with Marcos. Both the Philippines and Japan have taken a strong line against what they see as an increasingly assertive Beijing in the South China Sea and concern over tension across the Taiwan Strait. Japan, which announced in 2023 its biggest military build-up since World War Two in a step away from post-war pacifism, does not have any claims to the busy waterway. But it has a separate maritime dispute with China in the East China Sea, where the neighbours have repeatedly faced off. Ishiba's visit to Manila also coincides with Japan's participation in ongoing military exercises alongside Philippine and U.S. forces. "We affirmed on the importance of the Japan, Philippines and the United States trilateral cooperation," Ishiba said.
The Mainichi
30-04-2025
- Business
- The Mainichi
Japan, Philippines agree to begin talks for security pacts
MANILA (Kyodo) -- The leaders of Japan and the Philippines agreed Tuesday on the start of discussions to pave the way for key security pacts, aiming to further strengthen their security ties with China in mind. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed at their talks in Manila that their governments will initiate discussions on an intelligence-sharing deal, recognizing "the importance of its early conclusion," according to Japan's Foreign Ministry. The two also agreed to enter negotiations to sign an acquisition and cross-servicing pact to simplify the process of sharing defense supplies and facilitate joint exercises. Ishiba told a joint press conference with Marcos after the talks that they affirmed their opposition to "attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China seas by force or coercion," in an apparent reference to China's maritime assertiveness in the waters. They also confirmed that their coast guards will conduct trilateral joint drills with the United States and exchanged views on the global economy, the Japanese government said, amid U.S. President Donald Trump's imposition of higher import tariffs. "Japan and the Philippines have become partners, as close as allies," Ishiba told a joint press announcement, while Marcos said that "uninterrupted" high-level visits between the two nations over many years are "the hallmarks of a truly golden age in our bilateral relationship." At the outset of the talks, Marcos said the meeting will "further help us in our common pursuit of peace, security and prosperity for all." Ishiba said Japan and the Philippines share fundamental values such as the rule of law and have common challenges in the fields of security, economy and preparation for natural disasters. Japan and the Philippines, both close U.S. security allies, have been boosting their cooperation in recent years, as the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific has gained importance with China intensifying its maritime activities in the region. Asserting Beijing's territorial claims, Chinese vessels have acted aggressively against Philippine ships near disputed shoals in the South China Sea, while repeatedly entering waters around the uninhabited Senkaku Islands controlled by Japan in the East China Sea. In July, Tokyo and Manila signed a Reciprocal Access Agreement, which eliminated restrictions on defense personnel transfers for joint drills and disaster relief operations. The Philippines became Japan's third such partner after Australia and Britain. As for Trump's tariffs, Japan and the Philippines are not only concerned about the negative impact of the higher U.S. levies on their exports but also of a further escalation of the trade war between the United States and China, their major trading partners. Ishiba told the press that he and Marcos held discussions "on the impact of U.S. tariff measures and China's retaliatory steps on the multilateral free trade system," adding that Japan will "listen" to the Philippines "for a better solution." Marcos stressed that Japan is "one of the top bilateral partners that we have for trade, investment, and development cooperation," and shares "our ideals and aspirations of upholding democratic institutions and a rules-based international order." Ishiba arrived in Manila on Tuesday after visiting Vietnam on his four-day trip through Wednesday, his third to Southeast Asia since taking office in October. He visited Laos that month and Malaysia and Indonesia in January.
AsiaOne
29-04-2025
- Business
- AsiaOne
Japan and the Philippines push security and economic ties on Ishiba's visit, Asia News
MANILA — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba held talks on Tuesday (April 29) with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, in a move to advance security and economic ties between two of Washington's closest Asian allies amid rising Indo-Pacific tensions. Ishiba's visit to the Philippines comes at a crucial time, with both countries confronting growing concerns over regional security and China's assertiveness in the South China Sea, while navigating global trade tensions sparked by sweeping US tariffs and increased friction between the United States and China. Ishiba said he discussed with Marcos the far-reaching impact of US-China trade tensions on the global economy and multilateral free trade frameworks. He assured Marcos he would heed the concerns of Japanese companies operating in the Philippines to find solutions. The two leaders also explored ways to further defence and economic ties, with talks centred on Japan's official security assistance programme, of which the Philippines was among the first beneficiaries. Ishibal said Japan and the Philippines had started talks on a potential information security agreement, which would enable exchanges of confidential information and boost security co-operation. Last year, Japan and the Philippines signed the Reciprocal Access Agreement, the first of its kind Japan has signed in Asia, that would allow deployment of forces on each other's soil. While the Philippines has ratified the pact, it still awaits legislative approval in Japan. Once in place, it will ease the entry of equipment and troops for combat training and disaster response and smooth co-operation between their militaries. Countering China Ishiba and Marcos also commitment to promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific and upholding a rules-based international order. "I hope that our two nations will continue to closely communicate with each other to oppose attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas by force or coercion," Ishiba said at a joint press conference with Marcos. Both the Philippines and Japan have taken a strong line against what they see as an increasingly assertive Beijing in the South China Sea and concern over tension across the Taiwan Strait. Japan, which announced in 2023 its biggest military build-up since World War Two in a step away from post-war pacifism, does not have any claims to the busy waterway. But it has a separate maritime dispute with China in the East China Sea, where the neighbours have repeatedly faced off. Ishiba's visit to Manila also coincides with Japan's participation in ongoing military exercises alongside Philippine and US forces. "We affirmed on the importance of the Japan, Philippines and the United States trilateral co-operation," Ishiba said. [[nid:717363]]
