REAR Admiral Hidetoshi Iwasaki of Japan called for the rule of law in solving the dispute in the South China Sea and assured the Philippines that its maritime security ties with it will continue.
The Philippines and other countries have maritime disputes with China in the South China Sea while Japan has its own territorial dispute with China in the East China Sea.
“The situation is getting more complicated,” Iwasaki said at the Port Area in Manila Monday night.
Lino Santos
“We have to think about the rule of law. Rule of law means these countries have signed up the Unclos (United Nations Convention on the law of the sea). This is the rule of the sea where the region needs to adhere to and respect.”
Iwasaki said there were 190 newly commissioned officers on board in their four-day training squadron ships sharing knowledge with their Filipino marine counterparts during their stay.
Along with the JS Kashima, two other vessels, the JS Asagiri and JS Setoyuki, arrived on Monday in a four-day goodwill visit marking the 60th commemorative training between the Philippines and Japan.
“This marks the 60th anniversary of the Philippines-Japan diplomatic relationship,” Iwasaki said.
“This is 69 times commemorative training for us. The Japan Defense forces started the training course in 1958.”
The three Japanese maritime vessels set their voyage for 169 days in May, when they started their journey from Hawaii to Europe, the Malacca straits, Singapore and Sri Lanka.
The Philippines, Iwasaki said, was their last stop before going back to Japan on Oct. 27.
The ships came from Colombo where Iwasaki said Japan would continue to reinforce its maritime security ties with Sri Lanka.