Philippines, Japan commit to stronger defense ties

MANILA, Philippines — Discussing various matters of mutual concern, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. and Japan Minister of Defense Koizumi Shinjiro engaged in high-level talks in Makati City on Tuesday.

The Defense Ministerial Meeting reaffirmed the continued strengthening of defense ties between the two nations, with the defense chiefs welcoming the steady progress in operational cooperation, including the implementation of the Philippines-Japan Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) and the signing of the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement.

Department of National Defense spokesman Arsenio Andolong said both noted the growing scope of joint and multilateral activities, including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercises, as well as Japan’s participation in Exercise Balikatan, as key drivers of enhanced interoperability.

In his remarks, Teodoro emphasized the depth of strategic trust underpinning defense agreements between partners, noting that the RAA “should not be taken as a pure defense-to-defense or a military-to-military agreement, but as an expression of the highest form of trust and confidence, and an expression of the highest level of engagement of two countries, because of shared interests and a shared future.”

Strategic shift

Meanwhile, the Philippines and Japan are moving to recalibrate their agricultural partnership, with officials laying the groundwork for key agreements during a high-level meeting, ahead of the scheduled state visit of President Marcos to Japan later this month.

Japanese Ambassador Endo Kazuya led officials in a courtesy call on agriculture chief Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. to start preparatory discussions for expected deliverables during the state visit.

Among the matters discussed was the planned amendment of the Philippines-Japan Memorandum of Cooperation on agriculture.

The amended agreement would establish a Joint Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries, a mechanism intended to “institutionalize cooperation and sustain long-term initiatives.” –  Pia Lee-Brago, Josiah Antonio