The Philippines and Japan need to further beef up their defense cooperation amid increasingly complex global security issues, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani agreed during their bilateral talks on Monday.
“There is an increasing need for Japan and the Philippines to further enhance defense cooperation and collaboration in order to contribute to the peace and stability in the region and international community,” Nakatani said in his opening remarks.
Teodoro noted that while the Philippines’ multilateral agreements with Japan remain “robust and strong,” he looks forward to further enhancing both nations’ existing partnerships rooted on “shared values of a rules-based international order.”
This is to ensure “a free and open Indo-Pacific,” enabling resiliency for both Manila and Tokyo “against unilateral attempts by China and other countries to change the international order and the narrative,” Teodoro said.
The security relationship between Japan and the Philippines—both key U.S. allies—has grown stronger over the past two years due to shared concerns about China’s increasingly assertive behavior in the region.
In a significant move last year, the two nations signed a historic military agreement permitting the deployment of their forces on each other’s territory.
Teodoro on Sunday toured his Japanese counterpart to key military bases in Luzon aimed at enhancing bilateral defense relations.
The two Defense chiefs were accompanied on the trip by other ranking officials of the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Nakatani was given a guided tour of the military facilities at Basa Airbase and several other key installations including the Fuel Storage Facility, the Air Missile Defense System Training Center, and the 4-Bay Hangar and Sterling Hangar, which are essential for aircraft maintenance and operations.