Military authorities said on Tuesday that Manila and Tokyo are planning to conduct joint naval exercises in a bid to boost defense ties and enhance regional stability.
A Japanese destroyer had actually docked in Manila even before the planned exercise.
Enemies during World War II, Japan and the Philippine aim to take their bilateral relationship “to the next level,” according to Capt. Mardonio Navarro of the Philippine Navy.
A joint military exercise will improve ties and “contribute to the regional stability,” added Capt. Ryoko Azuma, commander of the Japanese Escort Division One.
Azuma is in the country to lead the contingent that brought Japanese destroyer JS Ikazuchi to Manila on a three-day goodwill visit, which includes a coordination meeting with the Philippine military.
Both the Philippines and Japan are locked in maritime disputes with China.
Both Beijing and Tokyo claim ownership of uninhabited islets in the East China Sea, known as the Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.
China, meanwhile, also claims as its own most of South China and has built bases on reefs and shoals it reclaimed despite partial claims by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan.
A UN-backed tribunal, acting on a Philippine plea, invalidated Beijing’s sweeping claims over the strategic waterway that boasts of a rich fishing grounds, as well as oil and gas deposits.
But President Duterte has set aside the ruling and instead sought loans and investments from China, in a pivoted from longtime ally US, after the previous American administration criticized the government anti-illegal drugs drive.
Azuma, meanwhile, said Japan’s visit and meetings with the Philippine Navy have nothing to do with China.
“[We have] no specific message to any nation. Japan is now committed to the vision of freedom and opening of the Pacific,” he said.
“Japan and Philippines share a core value that emphasized free and open ocean based on rules of international law and freedom of navigation,” he added.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s latest goodwill visit is the first for this year and the eighth since 2016.
The Japanese destroyer employs 220 crew and carries two patrol helicopters.
Philippine and Japanese Navy officials were set to stage pre-coordination meetings and a shipboard tour.
In a speech, Azuma said that the purpose of their visit is to deepen the partnership with the PN through various opportunities and interaction.
“I believe that this visit will make a great contribution to the further strong relations between our two countries,” she added. With PNA